Sheikh Ahmad re-elected as head of Olympic Council of Asia for eighth term, while being investigated on forgery charges

The long-serving chief, a powerfully ally of IOC head Thomas Bach, was re-elected unanimously for an eighth term at the OCA general assembly in Bangkok

Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda, who is at the centre of a corruption probe brought by French financial prosecutors, was retained as the OCA vice-president

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International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (left) and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 11:56am, 4 Mar 2019Updated: 12:21pm, 4 Mar 2019

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has been re-elected president of the Olympic Council of Asia after standing unopposed and despite being embroiled in a forgery case brought by Swiss investigators.

The long-serving OCA boss, a powerful ally of International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach, was re-elected unanimously for an eighth term at the OCA general assembly in Bangkok, the OCA said in a statement on Monday.

An IOC member since 1992, Sheikh Ahmad stepped down from his roles in the global Olympic body in November, less than two weeks after the Public Prosecutor of Geneva submitted a forgery accusation to a criminal court against the Kuwaiti and four others.

Sheikh Ahmad has proclaimed his innocence and said in November that the Swiss court case had nothing to do with “sport or corruption”.

Sheikh Ahmad had been head of Olympic Solidarity – the multimillion dollar IOC purse that funds sports projects globally – and the head of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).