Kuwait Crisis Deepens; Serious Doubt for Rio 2016

(ATR) Kuwait’s participation at the Rio Olympics has been further jeopardized by more government interference in sport.

Suspended by the IOC in October, the government on Tuesday filed lawsuits against the basketball, football, swimming and volleyball federations.

The Kuwaiti government is also suing leaders of the Kuwaiti boxing and weightlifting associations because they "impersonate the capacity of the chairman and executive members of the association without legal proof." They were sanctioned because the government didn’t recognize the validity of the general assembly where the election of the members took place.

Kuwait NOC president Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad Al-Sabah on Wednesday confirmed that the government had issued legal proceedings against the Olympic committee, blaming it for the IOC’s ban.

The government lawsuit first reported last week is seeking $1.3 billion in damages and is also aimed at Sheikh Talal’s brother, Sheikh Ahmad, president of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Association of National Olympic Committees.

"This is a serious escalation of a regrettable sequence of events since the new sport legislation has been introduced which directly threatens the autonomy of the sports movement," he said in a statement, adding that it prevented the NOC from complying with the Olympic Charter.

Al Fahad said the failure of the government to reach an agreement with the IOC about amending its sports law to comply with the charter "pushed the government to take vindictive measures to justify its attitude locally, using all illegal measures such as threat and lobbying". He said the government forced national federations to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an attempt to repeal the IOC ban.

Sheikh Talal said Kuwait’s athletes had become the "real victims" in the escalating dispute.

"After years of hard work our athletes are facing the prospect of not being able to compete at Rio 2016 under the national flag," he added.

He called on the Kuwait government to "reconsider its attitude" and show "more flexibility" through understanding the principles of the Olympic Charter and the statutes and rules of sports organizations.

"I am my colleagues will remain ready to find a solution to these matters at the earliest opportunity for the benefit of all of our athletes," Sheikh Talal said.

IOC president Thomas Bach last month urged Kuwaiti ministers to "come to the table" in the interests of the country’s athletes.

The IOC has still to confirm when its autonomy leaders Pere Miro and Pat Hickey will next meet with Kuwaiti ministers.

ATR understands that Sheikh Ahmad will not comment on the government spat with the NOC. He has become caught in a battle with Kuwait minister of sport Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud, who is said to be holding a grudge against Ahmad over the IOC member’s failure to back him last year to become president of the International Sport Shooting Federation.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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