Asian Shooting Championship divested of Olympic qualification status

In a statement issued by the IOC, it was specified that the primary reason for the decision was owing to the Technical Delegate of the International Sports Shooting Federation (ISSF), Yair Davidovich of Israel, being denied a visa by Kuwait.

Published : Oct 30, 2015 13:32 IST , New Delhi

'The denial of visa is against the non-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter': IOC
'The denial of visa is against the non-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter': IOC
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'The denial of visa is against the non-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter': IOC

The International Olympic Committee, acting on the request of the International Sports Shooting Federation (ISSF), has revoked the Olympic qualification status of the Asian Shooting Championship to be held in Kuwait City from November 3 to 11. In a statement issued by the IOC, it was specified that the primary reason for the decision was owing to the Technical Delegate of the ISSF, Yair Davidovich of Israel, being denied a visa by Kuwait.

“The denial of visa is against the non-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter,” said the IOC statement.

Moreover, the decision was also a logical fall-out of the fact that Kuwait Olympic Committee being suspended by the IOC due to government interference, against the rules of the Olympic Charter. “The KOC is not entitled to participate in any activity connected with the Olympic Movement,” the IOC stated, in an earlier communication issued on October 27.

The IOC Executive Board had, on Wednesday, suspended the KOC to protect the Olympic Movement in Kuwait. The IOC felt that the Olympic Movement in Kuwait had faced issues to preserve its autonomy, especially in the light of the recently amended sports legislation in the country.

There was an attempt to resolve the issues, on October 12, when IOC called the representatives of the Kuwait government and its Olympic Committee, to its headquarters in Lausanne. However, there was no action taken by the Kuwait government to amend its sports legislation when the stipulated deadline of October 27 elapsed, which forced the IOC to suspend the KOC.

The IOC will take further action in due course of time regarding the participation of the Kuwait athletes in the Olympic Games and in other international Olympic-related events, in consultation with the International Federations. The ISSF is expected to announce a fresh competition for deciding the 35 Olympic quota places, spread over nine men’s events, and six women’s events in shooting, allocated for the Asian continent.

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