The IHF Council decided, after exhausting all possible remedies, to suspend the Kuwait Handball Association (KHA) with immediate effect as a result of failing to organize an electoral General Assembly to legitimate the governing body of the federation. Over the last eight years the IHF has undertaken major efforts to adapt the Statutes of the KHA to be in compliance with the IHF Statutes and the IOC Olympic Charter and organize an electoral General Assembly to elect the KHA Board of Directors. The current KHA Board of Directors whose term of office was terminated already in 2012 has lost its legitimate status.

The non-recognized KHA Board of Directors did not succeed to organize the General Assembly to approve the Statutes and the subsequent GA to organize the elections. Therefore the IHF Council, upon authorization of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and Asian Handball Federation, appointed an Interim Committee to carry out the convocation of the two General Assemblies in question. The former President of the KHA did not comply with the IHF Council decision by not handing over the federation to the KHA Interim Committee, which is considered a violation of Article 7.3a of the IHF Statutes. In addition the Public Authority for Youth and Sports in Kuwait did not react to the IHF request for intervention to resolve the currently illegitimate status of the KHA by the given deadline.

 

Therefore the IHF Council decided on 11 September 2015 as follows:

1. Suspending the Kuwait Handball Association with immediate effect.

2. The suspension will include all handball activities on national and international level.

3. The suspension will include all people involved in the handball activities in Kuwait (players, coaches, referees, officials, clubs).

4. The KHA shall not maintain sporting contact with the IHF Member Federations.

5. All IHF Member Federations will be informed accordingly.