His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receives shooters Fehaid Al-Deihani and Abdullah Al-Rasheedi at Bayan Palace in the presence of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other State officials. KUWAIT CITY, Aug 16, (KUNA): His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace Tuesday shooters Fehaid Al-Deihani and Abdullah Al- Rasheedi who won the gold and bronze medals at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games.

The meeting, which saw His Highness the Amir also receiving a number of other athletes partaking in the games, was held in the presence of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, and Director General of the Public Authority for Youth (PAY) Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Sabah.

His Highness the Amir lauded the achievements of Al-Deihani and Al-Rasheedi, who both won respectively the gold and bronze medals at the men's double trap and the men's skeet shooting competitions.

His Highness the Amir called on all Kuwaiti athletes to follow the examples set by Al-Deihani and Al-Rasheedi, affirming that the two sportsmen made Kuwait as well as the Arab and Muslim nations proud. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah honored shooter Abdullah Al-Rasheedi with a medal in recognition of his achievement. Al-Deihani previously received a similar honor for his gold medal win.

The meeting was attended by Advisor at the Amiri Diwan Mohammad Daifallah Sharar and Chairman of the Board for the Kuwait shooting sports club Duaij Al-Otaibi and members of the club's board. Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah has extolled achievements made by Kuwaiti shooters at Rio 2016 Olympics, saying this 'inspires us to exert further efforts to serve Kuwait's sports.'

The minister made the statement to reporters on Monday on the sidelines of receiving the Kuwaiti skeet shooter Abdullah Al-Rasheedi who won the bronze in the competition. Sheikh Salman said, 'all Kuwaitis should be united and work for the future.' He noted that Al-Rasheedi has chalked up a major achievement by winning the first place and breaking an Olympic record in the qualifying rounds, indicating that 'the shooter performed well in a way that showed that Kuwaiti youth are qualified to compete in various events.' Sheikh Salman expressed deepest congratulations to His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prime Minister for this achievement, referring to the gold medal won by the shooter Fehaid Al-Deihani.

He said this has proved that Kuwaiti youth have capabilities to achieve best results in various events, adding that 'the Kuwaiti sports is fine, thanks to our cohesion.' The minister extolled efforts exerted by the Kuwait Shooting Federation chaired by Duaij Al-Otabi, who has spared no efforts to support sports, and all officials. Al-Rasheedi arrived in Kuwait on Monday after winning with the bronze, amid an official reception at the airport. Senior officials, including Sheikh Salman, MPs and sportspeople, received the shooter with jubilation.

The government is keen on implementing a 1978 sport law, which was amended by Parliament last June, in order to dismiss doubts about legality of Kuwait participation in international sport event, a minister said Monday. The government 'seeks to implement the law (42) which was implemented since 1978 until 2006 in order to dismiss all claims about legal status of Kuwait's international participation in all sports,' Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah said. He was speaking to reporters on sidelines of a reception at Kuwait airport of Abdullah Al- Rasheedi, the Kuwaiti shooter who won the bronze medal in the skeet competition of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Kuwait in October 2015 due to what it claimed was the government's interference in sport.

'It was a local (Kuwait-originated) complaint that caused suspension of Kuwait under pretext that Kuwait laws are non-complying with international laws and Olympic Charter,' he said, but did not elaborate on the source of the complaint. 'It is hard to imagine that some of our countrymen seek to block the lifting of suspension on Kuwait sport and thus hoisting Kuwaiti fl ag in international events,' he said. Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait's participation in the Olympics in 1980 and the FIFA 1982 World Cup was through the very laws the country was following. 'We are waiting to see how credible the international sport authorities are in order to do Kuwait justice,' he said.

If these authorities fail to accept these laws, added Sheikh Mohammad, 'then this will raise a big question as to what these authorities were doing during previous competitions.' 'Kuwait suspension will be lifted sooner or later along with respect of international laws,' he said. The amended law that Sheikh Mohammad talked about provided financial allocations for supporting sports institutions, which conducted their activities within the general policy defined by the relevant ministry. In addition, a sports club is managed by a board of directors, and has a general assembly. The statute will identify the formation, as well as domains and powers. A club member is not allowed to have the membership of another club. No board member is allowed to do an additional job in the club.

A member of a club's general assembly is allowed to give his vote for just one candidate running for the elections of the board of directors. A lot will be held for candidates who receive equal votes, to decide a single winner. In addition, no person is allowed to have the membership of more than one board of directors in a club or a federation, the Olympic Committee or the Public Authority for Sports. Once this happens, the member is given a 10-day period to make a choice.

If the member does not decide within the grace period, he will be considered to have chosen the recent post, and resigned from the old one. According to the bill, the general assembly or the relevant minister can dissolve a club's board, through a causative decision, and a put in place an interim committee that takes over the board's powers in line with the statute, for a renewable period of six months. The dissolution can take place in case the board violates the provisions of this bill, the club's statute or the resolutions, memos or bylaws of the Public Authority for Sports; or if the decision is for the good of the club and its members.

In case a sports dispute arises between a club and the relevant federation, the issue must be referred to the Olympic Committee. Once the Committee issues a ruling, each has 15 days to appeal. If a dispute takes place between a sports federation and the Olympic Committee, the whole matter has to be referred to the relevant minister. The minister's decision is final, and can be challenged in court. Article 30 of the new bill law provides that, without prejudice to any more severe penalty in the Penal Code or any other law, penalties will be rendered to whoever conducts an activity for a sports institution that opposes the purpose it was created for, or causes a disruption of its sports activities, or spends money away from the purpose or uses its funds in fi- nancial speculations or causes it a financial loss to the body.