ACOLOP

ACOLOP (acronym for Associação dos Comités Olímpicos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa; English: Association of the Portuguese Speaking Olympic Committees), is an Olympic-related non-profit organization officially established on June 8, 2004, in Lisbon. It was founded by the national Olympic committees (NOCs) of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Macau (Chinese SAR), Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe; it also includes Equatorial Guinea as an associate member. On April 2006, India (represented by the Goa Olympic Association) and Sri Lanka were admitted also as associate members, based on their common historical past with Portugal.

Official logo of the ACOLOP

The Portuguese-speaking countries are spread through four continents and reach a total population of about 250 million people. Portuguese thus occupies a place among the most spoken languages in the world. The purpose of reinforcing the bonds between these nations and promoting unity and cooperation through sport was the main reason for ACOLOP's creation.

Goals and projects

The goals which guide this organisation are:[1]

• The spreading of the Olympic ideals on every member country and territory;
• Equality, mutual respect and interest convergence-based cooperation between every member country and territory;
• Cooperation of every member country and territory on the definition of objectives, data exchange and common interests defense;
• Development of Olympic solidarity programs with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) support;
• Cooperation on an Olympic Games mission-chief level;
• Joint-bids for places on the International Olympic Movement structure;
• Staging of the ACOLOP Games (Lusophony Games).

At the 8th general assembly, in Macau (February 2, 2007), the president Manuel Silvério stated the intention of campaigning for the elevation of Portuguese language to official status inside the IOC and Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) structures. On the agenda is also the creation of a "Lusophone Olympic Academy", institution of an "International Lusophony Day", promotion of an annual football tournament and also an annual sporting awards gala.[2]

On June 8, 2007, precisely three years after the creation of the ACOLOP, the organization's new official portal was launched. Its servers are located on the organization's headquarters in Macau. This portal was established with the purpose of strengthening the communication between the Lusophone world and the ACOLOP. It serves also as a platform to display all news and activities concerning all member associations, especially those that do not have a portal.[3]

Members

Founding (red) and associate (green) members of the ACOLOP.

Founding members

•  Angola
•  Brazil
•  Cape Verde
•  East Timor
•  Guinea-Bissau
•  Macau, China
•  Mozambique
•  Portugal
•  São Tomé and Príncipe

Associate members

•  Equatorial Guinea
•  India
•  Sri Lanka

Organization structure

From January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009, a new board will be led by Manuel Silvério, as result of elections carried on October 12, 2006.[4] This board's official inauguration will take place in Macau, on 4 February 2007, site of the ACOLOP's headquarters.[5] As José Vicente de Moura, is the 2009 Lusophony Games organizing committee president and the vice-president (coming from the Olympic Committee of Portugal) is Manuel Marques da Silva.[6]

ACOLOP boards
2004–2006 Executive Committee President José Vicente de Moura (Portugal Olympic Committee president) Vice-President Manuel Silvério (Macau Olympic Committee 1st vice-president) General Secretary Rogério Torres Cerveira Nunes da Silva (Angolan Olympic Committee president) Treasurer Francisco Costa (Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee vice-president) Statutory Audit committee President João Manuel da Costa Alegre Afonso (São Tomé and Príncipe Olympic Committee president) Other members Marcelino Macomé (Mozambique Olympic Committee president) João Viegas Carrascalão (East Timor Olympic Committee president) General Assembly Carlos Arthur Nuzman (Brazilian Olympic Committee president) André Gustavo Richer (Brazilian Olympic Committee general-secretary) Mário Rosa R. de Almeida (Angolan Olympic Committee general-secretary) Augusto Bernardo Viegas (Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee president) Sérgio Mané (Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee general-secretary) António Menezes da Trindade (São Tomé and Príncipe Olympic Committee general-secretary) Penalva César (Mozambique Olympic Committee general-secretary) Joanico Gonçalves (East Timor Olympic Committee general-secretary) Antero Barros (Cape Verde Olympic Committee president) Felisberto Cardoso (Cape Verde Olympic Committee general-secretary) Melchor Okue Motto (Equatorial-Guinea Olympic Committee president) Pedro-Mabale Fuga Afang (Equatorial-Guinea Olympic Committee general-secretary)
2007–2009 Executive Committee President Manuel Silvério (Macau Olympic Committee 1st vice-president) 1st Vice-President Manuel Marques da Silva (Portugal Olympic Committee) 2nd Vice-President Carlos Arthur Nuzman (Brazilian Olympic Committee president) 3rd Vice-President Hemasiri Fernando (Sri Lanka Olympic Committee) General Secretary Gustavo da Conceição (Angolan Olympic Committee) Assistant General Secretary João Manuel da Costa Alegre Afonso (São Tomé and Príncipe Olympic Committee president) Treasurer Augusto Bernardo Viegas (Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee president) Executive Director Vasco Bismark (Macau Olympic Committee) Statutory Audit Committee President João Viegas Carrascalão (East Timor Olympic Committee president) Other members Marcelino Macomé (Mozambique Olympic Committee president) Franklin da Palma (Cape Verde Olympic Committee)

See also

• Lusophone Games
• CPLP Games
• Macau 2006 Lusophone Games
• Lisbon 2009 Lusophone Games
• Goa 2014 Lusofonia Games

References

1. "Associação dos Comités Olímpicos de Língua Official Portuguesa (ACOLOP)" (in Portuguese). Comité Olímpico de Portugal. Archived from the original on 2006-06-19. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
2. "8.ª Assembleia-Geral da ACOLOP debate futuro" (in Portuguese). Comité Olímpico de Portugal. 2007-02-02. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
3. "Site assinala três anos de vida: ACOLOP global" (in Portuguese and English). ACOLOP. 2007-06-08. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
4. "Manuel Silvério eleito presidente da ACOLOP" (in Portuguese). Comité Olímpico de Portugal. 2006-10-12. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
5. "Vicente Moura em Macau para Assembleia da ACOLOP" (in Portuguese). Comité Olímpico de Portugal. 2007-01-26. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
6. "Marques da Silva represents the COP on the ACOLOP" (in Portuguese). Comité Olímpico de Portugal. 2006-12-14. Archived from the original on 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2006-12-14.

External links

• Official website