Duaij Al-Otaibi

KUWAIT: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of Kuwait Shooting Federation and rejected the decision of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) to suspend Kuwait Shooting Federation's membership. The ruling is to be implemented immediately, and all decisions taken against Kuwait Shooting Federation by the ISSF are to be considered null and void.

President of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations Eng Duaij Khalaf Al-Otaibi said this ruling is the culmination of continuous efforts that began nine months ago. KSF kept working along with the legal team to remove the unjustified decision against Kuwait Shooting, adding that KSF board of directors, held the belief that Kuwait's shooter had legal right to represent their country under Kuwait's flag at international tournaments and events.

Engineer Duaij Al-Otaibi, on behalf of the board of directors and the shooting community, congratulated HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Commerce and Industry Minister, Acting State Minister for Youth Affairs Khalid Al-Roudhan, Director General of Public Authority for Sports Sheikh Ahmad Al-Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, President of Kuwait Olympic Committee Sheikh Fahad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Kuwait Athletes and all the people of Kuwait for this just ruling, and hoped that the suspension be lifted from all sports activities.

Al-Otaibi thanked all the presidents of shooting federations around the world who expressed their support towards Kuwait's plight with this issue. He also thanked the legal team in Kuwait and abroad for their efforts that resulted in lifting the suspension of the shooting participation in the ISSF agenda events.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of KSF and ASF Obaid Al-Osaimi said KSSC will go ahead with its demands of all its rights that it was deprived of due to the unjust decision by the International Olympic Committee and ISSF, following the final ruling by CAS. He said KSSC will issue a detailed statement in few days to explain the most important rulings for Kuwait sport during the entire suspension period. He said the demands include material and moral compensations for the harms Kuwait shooters have endured.

By Abdellatif Sharaa, Staff Writer