Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah

KUWAIT: The government is keen on implementing a 1978 sport law, which was amended by parliament last June, in order to dismiss doubts about legality of Kuwait participation in international sport event, a minister said Monday.

The government "seeks to implement law number 42 which was implemented since 1978 until 2006 in order to dismiss all claims about legal status of Kuwait's international participation in all sports," Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah said.

He was speaking to reporters on sidelines of a reception at Kuwait airport of Abdullah Al-Rashidi, the Kuwaiti shooter who won the bronze medal in the skeet competition of the Rio 2016 Olympic games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Kuwait in October 2015 due to what it claimed was the government's interference in sport.

"It was a local (Kuwait-originated) complaint that caused suspension of Kuwait under pretext that Kuwait laws are non-complying with international laws and Olympic Charter," he said, but did not elaborate on the source of the complaint. "It is hard to imagine that some of our countrymen seek to block the lifting of suspension on Kuwait sport and thus hoisting Kuwaiti flag in international events," he said.

Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait's participation in the Olympics in 1980 and the FIFA 1982 World Cup was through the very laws the country was following. "We are waiting to see how credible the international sport authorities are in order to do Kuwait justice," he said.

If these authorities fail to accept these laws, added Sheikh Mohammad, "then this will raise a big question as to what these authorities were doing during previous competitions." "Kuwait's suspension will be lifted sooner or later along with respect of international laws," he said.

Financial allocations

The amended law that Sheikh Mohammad talked about provided financial allocations for supporting sports institutions, which conducted their activities within the general policy defined by the relevant ministry. In addition, a sports club is managed by a board of directors, and has a general assembly. The statute will identify the formation, as well as domains and powers.

A club member is not allowed to have the membership of another club. No board member is allowed to do an additional job in the club. A member of a club's general assembly is allowed to give his vote for just one candidate running for the elections of the board of directors.

A lot will be held for candidates who receive equal votes, to decide a single winner. In addition, no person is allowed to have the membership of more than one board of directors in a club or a federation, the Olympic Committee or the Public Authority for Sports.

Once this happens, the member is given a 10-day period to make a choice. If the member does not decide within the grace period, he will be considered to have chosen the recent post, and resigned from the old one.

According to the bill, the general assembly or the relevant minister can dissolve a club's board, through a causative decision, and a put in place an interim committee that takes over the board's powers in line with the statute, for a renewable period of six months.

The dissolution can take place in case the board violates the provisions of this bill, the club's statute or the resolutions, memos or bylaws of the Public Authority for Sports; Or if the decision is for the good of the club and its members.

Sports dispute

In case a sports dispute arises between a club and the relevant federation, the issue must be referred to the Olympic Committee. Once the Committee issues a ruling, each has 15 days to appeal. If a dispute takes place between a sports federation and the Olympic Committee, the whole matter has to be referred to the relevant minister. The minister's decision is final, and can be challenged in court.

Article 30 of the new bill law provides that, without prejudice to any more severe penalty in the Penal Code or any other law, penalties will be rendered to whoever conducts an activity for a sports institution that opposes the purpose it was created for, or causes a disruption of its sports activities, or spends money away from the purpose or uses its funds in financial speculations or causes it a financial loss to the body. Penalties include imprisonment for not less than a year, or more than three years and a fine of minimum KD 5,000, and maximum KD 10,000, or one of them. - KUNA