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.