Spreading out: Olympic Council of Asia sets up sub offices as Kuwait row rumbles on

The executive board met on Saturday and decided to set up regional offices in Bangkok, Almaty, Delhi and Nansha, China as well as in Lausanne, Switzerland, the home of the International Olympic Committee

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President of the Olympic Council of Asia Sheik Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah in November 2010. Photo: AP

Published: 7:12pm, 24 Sep 2016Updated: 7:14pm, 24 Sep 2016

The Olympic Council of Asia has decided to set up five new sub offices to enable it to function effectively while the row with the Kuwait government continues over their headquarters in the Gulf State.

Kuwait was suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in October 2015 after the government was accused of interference in its national Olympic Committee, which has subsequently been dissolved.

A month later, the long-term agreement for the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to have their headquarters in Kuwait City was unilaterally torn up by the government.

The OCA executive board met on Saturday and decided to set up regional offices in Bangkok, Almaty, Delhi and Nansha, China as well as in Lausanne, Switzerland, the home of the IOC.

President of the Olympic Council of Asia Sheik Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah in 2014. Photo: AFP

“We are committed to not only continuing with our services, but to improve them further,” OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam said.

“We hope for the [Kuwait] government to finalise what is the direction. [They] terminated the diplomatic agreement in November last year and we are looking forward to finalising all the related issues officially with them.