The 46th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia, held in Uzbekistan on Monday, elected Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar as President of the Council, making him the 22nd president of the Olympic movement in the Asian continent since the staging of the first Asian Games in 1913.
Sheikh Joaan succeeds the Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who was suspended in 2024 from all positions within the International Olympic Committee for 15 years due to ethical violations.
Sheikh Al-Sabah (62), a former Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), had been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1992. However, he was convicted in Switzerland in 2021 of forgery and sham arbitration proceedings, a ruling that was upheld by the Geneva Court of Appeal.
The new elections were held during the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly meeting convened in Tashkent on Monday, with the participation of all 45 Asian National Olympic Committees and in the presence of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in a scene reflecting the Council’s stature and its pivotal role in the development of Asian sport.
