Kuwait has failed to escape the ban on its national Olympic committee in time for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Switzerland's Civil Court of the Canton of Vaud has ruled in favor of the International Olympic Committee’s suspension of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee, according to Reuters . Kuwait will have to pay the IOC $11,230 in legal costs, while Kuwaiti athletes will only be allowed to compete at Rio 2016 under the Olympic Flag.
Kuwait had filed a lawsuit against the IOC for barring it from international competitions. The Swiss court settled the matter by rejecting Kuwait's case and ordering Kuwait and its Public Authority for Sport to cover the IOC’s legal fees and expenses. Kuwait can appeal the verdict to the Swiss Federal Court within thirty days.
The suspension, imposed on Kuwait in October 2015, is based on alleged government interference with the autonomy of the Olympic movement through sports legislation. The IOC has refused to lift the ban before the problematic sports law is amended.
Kuwait’s parliament adjusted the law in June, but the amendment was not good enough for the IOC, as the Kuwaiti government is still authorized to dissolve sports associations and federations. Nonetheless, Kuwait insists that its laws enforce the autonomy of sports bodies and do not violate any international sporting charter, according to Saudi Gazette .
The ongoing ban will see nine Kuwaiti athletes – six shooters, two swimmers and a fencer – march under the five-ring Olympic Flag at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics this Friday. The Independent Olympic Athletes will be listed without reference to their nationality on their accreditation or results, according to Inside the Games .
Just recently, shooter Fehaid Al-Deehani – Kuwait’s only Olympic medalist – turned down the IOC’s request to carry the Olympic Flag at Rio 2016 ahead of Kuwait’s neutral delegation. The National quotes him saying, "I am a military man and I will only carry the Kuwait flag. I cannot carry the IOC flag."
Since the suspension was enacted, the KOC has been barred from partaking in any Olympic activity and excluded from the IOC and Olympic Solidarity’s financial assistance, which was thus withheld from Kuwaiti athletes.
The National reports that Kuwait has been suspended by the IOC and FIFA due to government intrusion three times since 2007. The 2010 ban was successfully lifted in time for the 2012 London Olympics.
