Kuwait Sues Sheikh Ahmad

(ATR) The Kuwait government sues for $1.3 billion over the IOC suspension of the Kuwait NOC….

Guardar

(ATR) The spat over sport in Kuwait takes on an added dimension with a lawsuit seeking $1.3 billion in damages over the IOC ban on Kuwaiti athletes at the Rio Olympics in seven months.

The lawsuit filed in Kuwait City takes aim at the 15 members of the Kuwait NOC and its president Sheikh Talal Al-Fahd. His better-known brother, Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahd Al Sabah, IOC member and president of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Association of National Olympic Committees, is also named in the filing.

The suit alleges that the NOC is responsible for the IOC suspension, the third time in five years as a result of government interference. The latest suspension handed down in October prevents athletes from Kuwait from competing under the national flag. Instead they would compete under the Olympic flag.

There is no comment from Sheikh Ahmad who has become caught in a battle with Kuwait minister of sport Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud. Salman is said to be holding a grudge against Sheikh Ahmad over the IOC member’s failure to back him last year to become president of the International Sport Shooting Federation.

The IOC made only brief comment on this latest development which has followed other legal skirmishes in Kuwait directed by Sheik Salman. "We understand that there are ongoing legal proceedings," a spokeswoman told Around the Rings.

The IOC has tried repeatedly to broker an end to the suspension, levied due to a Kuwaiti law giving the government a say in who will lead the national sport federations and the NOC. The government has refused to make any changes, despite face-to-face meetings with IOC negotiators.

The Kuwait government has also threatened to expel the headquarters of the Olympic Council of Asia, located in a subburb of Kuwait City

FIFA was the first to act in the latest episode, suspending the Kuwait Football Association a month before the IOC took its decision. FIBA has also suspended its federation in Kuwait.

Unable to compete because of the ban, the football association was nonetheless fined $10,000 by FIFA for forfeiting the November World Cup 2018 qualifier against Myanmar.

There is no word from the IOC on when further negotiations with Kuwait could occur.

Written by Ed Hula.

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

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022

Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022