Asian Olympic HQ Contract Dragged into IOC-Kuwait Talks

(ATR) The IOC admits that renewal of the lease for the Olympic Council of Asia’s headquarters in Kuwait was part of collapsed negotiations to resolve the bitter dispute over the country’s sports law.

It’s the latest development in an increasingly acrimonious row between the Kuwaiti government, IOC and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who heads the OCA.

A statement from the IOC to Around the Rings reveals for the first time that the OCA’s 10-year lease, which expires next month, was brought to the negotiating table after Kuwait threatened to kick the continental association out of the Gulf nation a few months ago.

The Kuwaiti NOC was suspended by the IOC on Oct. 27 following the introduction of a sports law that fails to comply with the Olympic Charter on sport and autonomy rules.

"The negotiations that took place between the two parties under the auspices of the UN at the end of January led to a number of proposals to settle the issue," an IOC spokeswoman told ATR.

"All were rejected by the government of Kuwait. The government then submitted a new draft which did not reflect the discussions carried out so far and that was subsequently rejected by the IOC early March. The issue of the lease of the OCA was one of the items covered in the negotiations."

But the IOC’s statement appears to conflict with the OCA’s position on the lease. Sources close to the OCA have told ATR that the Asian Olympic body did not ask for the renewal of their lease to be part of talks about a settlement between the IOC and Kuwait.

The sources said the focus of talks in January at the UN were on finding an "amicable solution" to the cancellation of the OCA’s immunity agreement in Kuwait by the government.

This included ensuring that the human rights of the OCA’s staff members are respected in regards to their and their families' residency in Kuwait and also ensuring the protection of the Asian Olympic Movement’s archives which are stored in Kuwait and date back to the first Asian Games.

The contract signed in 2006 granted the OCA land for their headquarters and came with lucrative benefits including diplomatic immunity and financial gains.

Kuwait ministers are baffled that the contract was part of talks connected with amendments to the sport law relating to the lifting of the NOC’s ban.

ATR is told that the government is not interested in renewing the lease with the OCA, echoing the stance they took in the autumn.

The Kuwaiti government accuses the OCA of abusing the agreement and not being accountable. ATR is told that some coaches and officials are not being paid, even though the government has allocated specific funding for their salaries.

"Once the government gives money, we cannot be assured that the money goes directly to the development of sport in our country," Parliamentary member Rakan Al Nasif told ATR.

"For us it is about organizing the process. The money being invested in sport is public money and we have the responsibility to our citizens to ensure that it is being used appropriately. In our system, any public money being used must be accounted for – sport is the only sector where we cannot follow the money."

Abdullah Al Turaiji, member of Kuwait National Assembly, was critical of Sheikh Ahmad."Since Sheikh Ahmad came into power sport in Kuwait has gone down. Before, those responsible for sport were interested in the development of sport in our country, not in the political game," he said.

"While certain individuals have gained political power, sport in our country has suffered. Kuwait’s ranking in world sport is the worst it has ever been."

OCA president Sheikh Ahmad is keeping his counsel on the dispute in the face of a torrent of criticism from Kuwaiti ministers.

Despite repeated demands for the sports law to be amended, the government’s perceived meddling and threats to the country’s sports movement has led to an apparent stalemate between the IOC and Kuwait. The country’s participation at the Rio Olympics remains in serious jeopardy.

Reported by Mark Bisson

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.