Sports News : India's Singh named OCA president after Sheikh Ahmad forgery conviction

Former Indian Olympic Association secretary general Randhir Singh has taken over as acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia after current head Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah of Kuwait stepped aside following his conviction for forgery in a Swiss court on Friday. Singh is the longest serving executive board member of the OCA and is also an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee. Sheikh Ahmad, his English former lawyer, a Kuwaiti aide and two more lawyers based in Geneva in 2014 were convicted on forgery charges linked to orchestrating a sham arbitration case in the upscale Swiss city. The panel of three judges found the five men took part in a staged legal dispute and arbitration hearing to gain a favorable ruling. It sought to authenticate video footage that would show two Kuwaiti politicians — including a former prime minister — discussing a possible coup in the oil-rich kingdom. Sheikh Ahmad was sentenced to 14 months in jail with a further 15 months suspended, putting his long career as a global sports power broker at risk. He is the former president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and a former IOC member.