KUWAIT/LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee set a deadline of Oct 27 for the resolution of a dispute that could lead to Kuwait’s suspension from the Olympic body, but the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) categorically rejected any deadline or conditions by the IOC, saying “the date of October 27 means nothing to PAYS”.
IOC officials held meetings in Lausanne on Monday with a high-level Kuwaiti delegation to discuss issues involving sports legislation in the country. The IOC said “all parties agreed to fully respect and comply with the principles and rules of the Olympic Charter and the statutes of the international federations”. The IOC said a working group has been set up to resolve the issues by Oct 27 “in the interest of the Olympic Movement in Kuwait and the athletes”. Kuwait was suspended by the IOC for more than two years but reinstated in 2012 following guarantees that new sports laws would be adopted.
PAYS said in a statement yesterday that it had met with the IOC and listened to its views, affirming that the Kuwait Olympic Committee (KOC) lies behind claims that local sports laws contradict the Olympic Charter. It added that KOC had given inaccurate information to the IOC, holding the KOC headed by Sheikh Talal Al-Fahd responsible for providing the IOC with baseless information.
It warned that it would not accept any infringement on the sovereignty and laws of Kuwait, especially as local sports laws are compatible with the Olympic Charter. But, it noted that relevant remarks on the local sports situation would be discussed and addressed in line with certain constitutional channels, leading up to a final consensus on the file through direct contacts with the IOC.
In the last couple of years, KOC never provided PAYS with any remarks on sports laws, though PAYS is always cooperative with it, it added. PAYS blamed the KOC for the suspension of Kuwaiti sports activities, calling on its leaders to live up to their national responsibility towards this matter. Voicing full respect of the IOC and the Olympic Charter during meetings with its officials, PAYS asked the IOC to provide it with the nine remarks which are believed to contradict local laws.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti delegation accompanying Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said yesterday that talks with IOC were successful and new facts were uncovered. In a statement to KUNA, Dr Mohammad Al- Feeli, head of the legal team at the talks, said that Kuwait’s sports laws are compatible with the Olympic Charter and that people who manage Kuwaiti sports clubs should respect the laws just like the situation in all countries. But he warned that in case of violations of the law, the matter will be taken to court. “We discovered that the file submitted to the IOC contains inaccurate information and the evidence used by the committee is extremely weak, so the complaint against Kuwait is baseless,” he said. Problems should have been solved in accordance with Kuwaiti laws before resorting to the IOC, he said, noting that the committee looked at the details of Kuwait’s policy regarding sports laws. Dr Saqer Al-Mulla, advisor to the minister of information, said that Sheikh Salman decisively refuted inaccurate information received by the IOC. The minister said Kuwait cannot accept any threats, especially as it provides clear-cut legal facilities to sports associations, Mulla said.
MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji, a member of the National Assembly’s sports committee, said that there were no certain points in the meeting and the IOC legal representative didn’t reply to several questions asked by the Kuwaiti delegation. He added that the IOC’s members should have realized that Kuwait is a state and legislations are adopted only in accordance with all norms applied in all countries that have parliamentary regimes.
“The IOC doesn’t have the right to impose law amendments on Kuwait, so the committee should respect the sovereignty of Kuwait,” Turaiji said. “We realized, unfortunately, that the Kuwait Olympic Committee is working with the IOC against Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti people should know this fact,” he said. MP Abdullah Al-Mayouf, head of the parliament’s sports and youth committee, said the IOC failed to answer many questions asked by the Kuwaiti delegation. He added that it doesn’t intend to ban Kuwait’s sports activities, urging the IOC to reconsider inaccurate information and discuss the issue with the KOC. — Agencies