As of this post seven Kuwaiti athletes have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, six shooters and one fencer:
Abdulaziz Al-Shatti (Fencing)
Abdulrahman Al-Faihan (Trap)
Khaled Al-Mudhaf (Trap) – 2002 World Champion
Saud Habib (Skeet)
Abdullah Al-Rashidi (Skeet)
Ahmad Al-Afasi (Double Trap)
Fehaid Al-Deehani (Double Trap) – Won Olympic bronze medals at both Sydney 2000 and London 2012
Sadly Kuwait is currently banned from participating in the Olympics. But the Kuwait athletes will still be eligible to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA) but they can not represent Kuwait.
Kuwait officials, though, had previously warned they would not allow its athletes to compete at Rio 2016 under the flag of anyone else but their own.
If they competed as IOA, there would be no reference to their nationality on their accreditation or results, with the IOC to appoint a “responsible organiser and technical officials” to oversee the team.
They would march under the Olympic flag at the Opening Ceremony, with the Olympic Anthem to be played should one of the team win a gold medal.
Kuwait was banned from the IOC last October for “undue Government interference”, only three years after the lifting of a similar suspension shortly before London 2012. [Source]
Pictured above is Kuwaiti bronze medallist Fehaid Al-Deehani during the medal ceremony for the Men’s Trap Shooting Final at the London 2012 Olympics.
via @thefrugalfan
18 replies on “Kuwaiti Athletes that have Qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics”
Meanwhile, athletes and journalists around the world are pulling out of the Olympics because of the Zika virus.
I hope the Kuwaiti delegation still attends – even under the flag of IOA. The country will still rally behind them, they can still bring medals home, etc. It’s just a shame that Gov’t meddling gets in the way of them actually flying Kuwait’s flag and playing the anthem. Who knows, if they medal and down the road Kuwait is allowed back into the Olympics maybe they can get their medals moved to an official Kuwait roster of wins?
So why exactly is Kuwait banned from all sports activities? You’d think there was a doping scandal or something.
Political motivation.
That’s the answer i always get, but no one actually knows or understands anything. Why the hell would the IOC care about any of this?
Someone with great powers within global sport organizations is using his influence as leverage.
Actually there is…
Let just say kuwaiti politics have reached Game of Thrones level of intrigues, and there are “those” who want to reach power even at the expense of kuwait and its dignity. If you have been keeping up with the newspapers for the last couple of months you will know who.
When will Kuwait learn that they can’t use Wasta and try and twist and break rules to get what they want. Why can’t they just follow laws and rules like everyone else. These athletes have worked hard to get to the top of their game and now their chance to represent their country and realise their dreams has been ruined because of the wasta obsession in the country. I have never experienced this strange attitude anywhere else in the world, not in any other GCC countries I have visited, just Kuwait. It’s sad. I hope the athletes still get to go and enjoy the experience.
100% Agree! Nowhere else on earth does this attitude appear! Only Kuwait.
I’ve seen articles referring to “government interference” or similar phrases, but can anyone direct me to an article that spells out, with specificity, what the hell actually happened? Who did what? All the articles I’ve read were written in a style that was so obtusely circumspect that I can’t tell what they’re talking about. Why is it such a secret?
Because it involves feuding members of the royal family
WOW can anybody say ZIKAAAAA virus ,,,i saw that coming a mile away lool, ” AL-rai news reports that Kuwait got its first zika virus” i dont wish or intend this for my lovely country but most athletes ditched Brazil so we go, its not like they will win anyways—————-find me guilty guys……
i wouldn’t describe one athlete not wanting to participate in the Olympics as “most”. For you to use the word most that means the majority of the athletes are boycotting the olympics and not just one.
So all seven Kuwaiti athletes qualified for shooting events. No track or water sports or even equestrian. Just shooting. hmmm interesting… very interesting….
It’s probably because the shooting facilities are state of the art here and there is strong financial backing for it?
Speaking of which, is that tennis court next to 360 still going on or has it been dropped?
Still going
Regarding the suspension; you can read:
IOC News Bulletin:
https://www.olympic.org/news/suspension-of-the-kuwait-olympic-committee
vs.
KUNA Report (as published in Arab Times):
https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/sports-laws-not-real-reason-kuwaits-ioc-suspension/