OLYMPIC GAMES

ZURICH (Reuters) - The head of the umbrella organization of national Olympic committees (ANOC) has stepped aside from his role amid an ongoing legal case in Switzerland, the IOC said in a statement on Monday.

The IOC said it had taken note of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah’s decision to “temporarily suspend himself from his role and responsibilities within ....ANOC,” a decision that will take effect from Wednesday.

The Kuwaiti last week denied wrongdoing and said the allegations against him were politically motivated. He did not give further details.

Sheikh Ahmad had previously stepped aside from his roles as an IOC member and head of Olympic Solidarity — the multi-million dollar IOC purse that funds sports projects globally.

“The IOC Executive Board emphasizes that the presumption of innocence prevails and recognizes that Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has taken the correct course of action with regard to the Olympic Movement,” the IOC statement said.

Sheikh Ahmad, who has been an IOC member since 1992, is a close ally of IOC President Thomas Bach and was among his supporters in the run-up to his election in 2013.

Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond

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