IOC Dispute with Kuwait Gets "Very Personal"

(ATR) In an escalation of the IOC’s bitter dispute with Kuwait, the sports minister has threatened to evict staff working at Olympic Council of Asia headquarters.

The IOC’s autonomy czar Pat Hickey told reporters in Lausanne on Wednesday that the row had "got very personal" since the Kuwait NOC was banned for government interference in October.

Kuwait’s minister of information, sport and youth affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah is at the heart of the dispute that jeopardizes his country’s athletes participating at the Rio Olympics.

Hickey said Sheikh Salman had "threatened to evict" employees working at the OCA’s Kuwait City headquarters by next April.

"This creates big problems because most of the staff are non-Kuwaiti and from other countries in the region," the IOC Executive Board member told a media briefing.

"At the same time, things are going on in the background trying to find a way forward and a peaceful solution."

Asked if the situation had worsened, Hickey said: "We had an exchange of letters, which have not been very helpful. Since we suspended Kuwait, 13 federations have followed suit… and more to come."

Hickey said he was speaking on behalf of ANOC and as the IOC’s autonomy leader because Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of ANOC and the OCA, was purposely keeping out of the dispute.

"He’s upset by it naturally. The OCA headquarters is magnificent. He is not happy at all," Hickey added.

With the Rio Games just eight months away, the IOC has set no timetable to resolve the dispute. Kuwait was suspended on Oct. 27 after the government failed to amend its sports legislation. The IOC prohibits political meddling in the affairs of sports organizations.

Hickey noted that Sheikh Salman had been threatening to ban athletes from competing in international sporting events in recent weeks. The sports minister’s threat was last month condemned by IOC Athletes’ Commission chair Claudia Bokel.

"Claudia Bokel is very upset to hear that and is inquiring into it," Hickey told reporters, adding that she was determined to make sure Kuwaiti athletes were not prevented from competing at the Games.

Bokel said last month that athletes of a country suspended by the IOC should be allowed to train and compete as normal to qualify for the Olympics and, if necessary, to compete under the Olympic flag.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said it was the Olympic body’s "number one priority" to ensure athletes’ rights were protected.

Mexico Problem Resolved

There was "good news to report" on the political dispute between the Mexican government and national sports federations which sparked speculation the country’s NOC could be suspended by the IOC.

Hickey said the situation was "completely solved".

He said a senior minister in the government was now in contact with the IOC, with a cooperation agreement expected to be signed in the next two days. He said this would confirm "that any dispute is over".

Amid similar concerns about government interference in the affairs of Olympic committees in Pakistan and India, Hickey said the issues had been resolved. "Everything is going in the right direction there," he said.

Reported in Lausanne by Mark Bisson

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