The "Athlete Centred Project Fund" has been set up through the Athletes' Committees of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan.

The programme was launched in 2022 with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the International Olympic Committee aiming to put athletes at the centre of the Olympic Movement.

"The Athlete Centred Project Fund was established for the period 2022-2024 and will enable NOC's to implement different activities aiming at educating athletes, helping them to enhance their knowledge, and most importantly engage them in the sports movement and have a voice and opinion," said Tony Tarraf, head of the athletes development department and special projects at the OCA.

"We believe athletes are a great asset as they are the seeds that provide new growth in building better societies.

"To get them involved in the decision-making process the OCA Athletes' Committee is working hard to activate Athletes' Committees in Asia and to support existing Athletes' Committees to implement regional activities to engage athletes."

Among the goals of the Athlete Centred Project Fund is to educate athletes on different topics to help them develop during and after their careers, training them on how to succeed in life by shaping character and mental toughness and investing in them "for a better future for Asia".

Raising awareness, athletes engagement and creating equal educational opportunities are the other ambitions of the programme.

Tarraf said the fund encourages Athletes' Committees to help athletes learn more about Olympic education, and host and organise workshops and other activities covering a wide range of topics.

"These include the role of the Athletes' Committee, post-career, mental health, sexual harassment, nutrition, and anti-doping," added Tarraf.