Bad times for Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah. The Kuwaiti leader, rightly considered one of the most influential figures in the international sports movement, could spend the next six months behind bars. According to a Kuwaiti daily, the president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) was sentenced to six months in prison for openly criticizing his country's regime during a television interview.... three years earlier. Surrealist.
Sheikh Ahmad is said to have expressed doubts about the integrity of the Kuwaiti judicial system. He even allegedly “insulted the prosecution” in an interview with a local private television channel. He is also reportedly accused of violating a media ban on comments relating to allegations that a former prime minister and ex-speaker of parliament had plotted to carry out a coup. A case ultimately closed by the courts for lack of evidence.
The facts occurred in 2012. They are emerging today. Not really a coincidence, as Kuwait is currently suspended by the IOC and FIFA for interference by political authorities in the country's sporting institutions.
A member of the royal family of Kuwait (he is the nephew of the ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah), Sheikh Ahmad today combines functions in the sports movement. A member of the IOC Executive Board, he chairs ANOC, Olympic Solidarity and the Association of Olympic Committees (OCA). He also sits on the FIFA executive committee, where he is considered the most powerful supporter of one of the candidates to succeed Sepp Blatter, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the leader of Bahrain.
Very silent since the announcement of his conviction, Sheikh Ahmad wanted to react with a press release sent by the OCA. “This is a personal attack which is unfortunately symptomatic of the current relationship between Kuwait and the sports movement,” he wrote. Under Kuwait's democratic constitution, I have the right to express my opinion freely, and that is all I did. I have fought against all forms of corruption and promoted freedom of expression my entire life, when I was in the military, when I was in government and now in sport. I will continue to protect the values of democracy, freedom of expression and the autonomy of sport. »
According to the Kuwaiti press, Sheikh Ahmad had to pay 1.000 dinars (a little over 3.000 euros) to suspend the application of his sentence.
Unsurprisingly, the affair caused a stir in the Olympic movement. The reactions were numerous, marked by signs of support and solidarity towards the Kuwaiti leader. “The Minister of Sports is putting the problem on a personal level, without seeing the reality of the facts,” suggested Patrick Hickey, the president of the Association of European Olympic Committees (EOC). Lassana Palenfo, president of the Association of African Olympic Committees (ACNOA), also expressed his support via a press release. The Ivorian leader assures that “the entire ANOCA family is united behind Sheikh Ahmad in his defense against these accusations and his fight for the values of democracy, freedom of expression and the independence of sport. »
