Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has stepped away from his Olympic positions in the wake of forgery allegations.
The IOC Ethics Commission announced the news in a statement this month, noting that Al-Sabah made a “decision to self-suspend” from his positions as an IOC member and as the Chair of the Olympic Solidarity Commission. He was also the president of ANOC and was running unopposed for re-election. Inside the Games reports that the election is now postponed indefinitely. Al-Sabah had also previously been honored by FINA, earning the organization’s highest award, the FINA Order, in 2014.
The 55-year-old Kuwaiti politician has been the president of the Olympic Council of Asia, and will remain in that role, per Inside the Games. Al-Sabah has been accused of creating fake videos that showed corruption among two Kuwaiti government officials. The IOC Ethics Committee statement only refers to the allegations against Al-Sabah as “forgery.”
Inside the Games reports that IOC President Thomas Bach personally asked Al-Sabah to step aside, though Al-Sabah “had initially been believed reluctant to step down before the election” and denies wrongdoing in the forgery case.
Al-Sabah will face a hearing on January 11. Robin Mitchell of Fiji is expected to be elected as ANOC vice president and will take over temporary leadership of the organization, per Inside the Games.
These people can take solace that there’s an opening for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections and that they don’t frown upon forgery. 🙂
This isn’t close to the tip of the iceberg. This is the sliver on the shard that’s on the tip to the iceberg.