# Kuwait Olympic Committee > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kuwait_Olympic_Committee > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kuwait_Olympic_Committee.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait_Olympic_Committee > Source revision: 1329441371 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) National Olympic Committee Kuwait Country Kuwait Code KUW Created 1957 Recognized 1966 Continental Association OCA Headquarters Safat President Sheikh Fahad Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah Secretary General Mr Hussain Al Musallam **Kuwait Olympic Committee** ([Arabic](/source/Arabic_language): اللجنة الأولمبية الكويتية, IOC code: **KUW**) is the [National Olympic Committee](/source/National_Olympic_Committee) representing [Kuwait](/source/Kuwait) and organising the [Kuwait Olympic team](/source/Kuwait_at_the_Olympics). ## 2010–2012 suspension The [International Olympic Committee](/source/International_Olympic_Committee) imposed a suspension on the committee with effect from 1 January 2010 due to government legislation that permits the state to interfere in elections of sporting organisations. The government had failed to meet the IOC's 31 December 2009 deadline for amending the legislation. As a result, Kuwait was barred from receiving IOC funding and its athletes and officials were banned from Olympic Games and Olympic meetings.[1] At the [2010 Summer Youth Olympics](/source/2010_Summer_Youth_Olympics), the [2010 Asian Games](/source/2010_Asian_Games), and the [2011 Asian Winter Games](/source/2011_Asian_Winter_Games), Kuwaiti athletes competed as [independent athletes](/source/Independent_Olympians_at_the_Olympic_Games) in a team named "Athletes from Kuwait" (code: IOC) under the [Olympic Flag](/source/Olympic_Flag).[2] On 14 July 2012 the suspension was lifted and [Kuwaiti athletes were allowed to participate](/source/Kuwait_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics) in the [2012 Summer Olympics](/source/2012_Summer_Olympics) under their own flag.[3] ## 2015–2019 suspension The Kuwait Olympic Committee was again suspended on 27 October 2015 by the IOC to protect the Olympic movement in Kuwait from undue government interference.[4] As a result of this suspension, participation by athletes from Kuwait at the [2016 Summer Olympics](/source/2016_Summer_Olympics) in [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro) was allowed by the IOC in a special team named "[Independent Olympic Athletes](/source/Independent_Olympic_Athletes_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics)" (code: IOA) under the [Olympic flag](/source/Olympic_flag).[5] As a gesture of goodwill for the progress made by Kuwait to address the problem, the IOC temporarily lifted the suspension on 16 August 2018 and [Kuwaiti athletes were allowed to participate](/source/Kuwait_at_the_2018_Asian_Games) in the [2018 Asian Games](/source/2018_Asian_Games) under their own flag.[6] The suspension was fully lifted in July 2019.[7] ## See also - [Kuwait at the Olympics](/source/Kuwait_at_the_Olympics) - [Athletes from Kuwait at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics](/source/Athletes_from_Kuwait_at_the_2010_Summer_Youth_Olympics) - [Athletes from Kuwait at the 2010 Asian Games](/source/Athletes_from_Kuwait_at_the_2010_Asian_Games) - [Athletes from Kuwait at the 2011 Asian Winter Games](/source/Athletes_from_Kuwait_at_the_2011_Asian_Winter_Games) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["IOC ban Kuwait national Olympic committee"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121115022519/http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/other-sports/058038-ioc-ban-kuwait-national-olympic-committee). *morethanthegames.com*. Sportsbeat & News Associates. 5 January 2010. Archived from [the original](http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/other-sports/058038-ioc-ban-kuwait-national-olympic-committee) on 2012-11-15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Olympics-Kuwait to hoist flag at Games after row resolved"](https://www.reuters.com/article/oly-kuwait-adv13-flag-idUSL6E8IE13520120714). Reuters. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["All 204 NOCs to compete in London"](http://www.olympic.org/news/all-204-nocs-to-compete-in-london/168320). *Olympic.org*. International Olympic Committee. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Suspension of the Kuwait Olympic Committee"](https://www.olympic.org/news/suspension-of-the-kuwait-olympic-committee). *Olympic.org*. International Olympic Committee. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Team IOA 2016 Olympics"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160815202125/https://www.rio2016.com/en/ioa). *rio2016.com*. Brazil Olympic Committee. Archived from [the original](https://www.rio2016.com/en/ioa) on August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Kuwait suspension lifted by IOC in time for Asian Games"](https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1068881/kuwait-suspension-lifted-by-ioc-in-time-for-asian-games). 16 August 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["The International Olympic Committee Lifts Suspension Of Kuwait Olympic Committee"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200927090246/https://kuwaitnoc.org/news/the-international-olympic-committee-lifts-suspension-of-kuwait-olympic-committee/). *kuwaitnoc.org*. Kuwait Olympic Committee. July 5, 2019. Archived from [the original](https://kuwaitnoc.org/news/the-international-olympic-committee-lifts-suspension-of-kuwait-olympic-committee/) on September 27, 2020. ## External links - [Kuwait Olympic Committee](http://www.ocasia.org/NOC/CountryDetails?q=QtBMIH0Rumqu7JT1NbiBEiLtGElhq7F4KDncSB74hGQ=) at [Olympic Council of Asia](/source/Olympic_Council_of_Asia) website - [Kuwait Olympic Committee](http://www.olympic.org/kuwait) at [IOC](/source/IOC) website - [Former kuwaitolympic.net website](https://web.archive.org/web/20180509110335/http://www.kuwaitolympic.net/) at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (archived 9 May 2018) v t e Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Asian Games Zone 1 (West Asia) Bahrain Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen Zone 2 (Central Asia) Afghanistan Iran Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Zone 3 (South Asia) Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Zone 4 (East Asia) China PR Hong Kong, China Japan DPR Korea Republic of Korea Macau, China Mongolia Chinese Taipei Zone 5 (Southeast Asia) Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Timor Leste Vietnam v t e Sports governing bodies in Kuwait (KUW) Summer Olympic Sports Aquatics Diving Swimming Synchronized Swimming Water Polo Archery Athletics Badminton Basketball Boxing Canoeing Cycling Equestrian Fencing Field Hockey Football Golf Gymnastics Handball Judo Modern Pentathlon Rugby 7's Rowing Sailing Shooting Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Triathlon Volleyball inc. Beach Volleyball Weightlifting Wrestling Winter Olympic Sports Biathlon Bobsleigh Curling Skating (Figure, Speed & Short Track) Ice Hockey Luge Skeleton Skiing (Alpine, Cross Country, Nordic Combined, Freestyle & Jumping) Snowboarding Other IOC Recognised Sports Air sports Auto racing Bandy Baseball Billiard Sports Boules Bowling Bridge Chess Cricket Dance sport Floorball Karate Korfball Lifesaving Motorcycle racing Mountaineering and Climbing Netball Orienteering Pelota Vasca Polo Powerboating Racquetball Roller sports Rugby Softball Sport climbing Squash Sumo Surfing Tug of war Underwater sports Water Ski Wushu Paralympics and Disabled Sports Others Sports Rugby League Rugby Union Esports Kuwait portal Kuwait Olympic Committee Authority control databases VIAF This Olympics-related organization article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Olympic-org-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AOlympic-org-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Olympic-org-stub) This article related to sport in Kuwait is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Kuwait-sport-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AKuwait-sport-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Kuwait-sport-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kuwait Olympic Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait_Olympic_Committee) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait_Olympic_Committee?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.