Kuwaiti athletes could be forced to compete under neutral flag at Olympics

A top Kuwaiti sports official said his country will be suspended by the International Olympic Committee but expressed hope the matter can be resolved before the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

This marks the second time in five years that Kuwait has been penalized for political interference. The IOC is concerned that the government is not allowing the country’s Olympic committee and national sports federations to operate as autonomous bodies.

Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah commented on the suspension at the start of an international meeting in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

“I believe now we have a very bad situation,” said Al-Sabah, an influential IOC member and president of the Assn. of National Olympic Committees. “The victims will be the athletes.”

If the suspension stands, Kuwaiti athletes will be allowed to participate in Rio but will do so as individuals under the Olympic flag.

With only about nine months to go before the opening ceremony, there is scant time for Kuwait to be reinstated.

“I am crossing my fingers,” Al-Sabah said.