KUWAIT CITY, July 2: Head of Kuwait Swimming Federation Sheikh Khaled Al-Badr Al-Sabah says the federation has officially nominated the First Deputy President of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Hussein Al- Musallam for the presidency of this world sports body during the elections of the Executive Council of FINA, which will be held on the sidelines of the general assembly in Qatar on June 5, 2021, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

In a press statement, Sheikh Khaled explained that Hussein Al-Musallam, who is currently the Secretary General of Kuwait Olympic Committee, is respected internationally for his competence. He qualifies to run the International Swimming Federation for a tenure that will continue until 2025 in succession to the current FINA President from Uruguay Julio Maglione.

Al-Musallam fulfills all the requirements needed for the nomination, and for this position so that the name of Kuwait can be raised higher in the world of international sport. Besides being a brilliant swimmer, Al-Musallam continues to serve Kuwait and the sports sector particularly the swimming sport through his great experience in local and foreign positions.

Sheikh Khaled affirmed that Kuwait Swimming Federation will provide all necessary support to Al-Musallam in his electoral battle which is expected to be fiercely contested, and will work on mobilizing support for him from the majority of other federations over the coming period.

It is worth mentioning that Hussein Al-Musallam has wide experience, and high academic qualifications. He holds a diploma in commercial aviation from Oxford Academy in the United Kingdom, and another diploma in sports management from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. In addition, he has an honorary doctorate in sport science from Kokmen Seoul University in South Korea.

Al-Musallam holds and has held high-level positions in the sports sector such as First Deputy President of the International Swimming Federation, Secretary General of Kuwait Olympic Committee, Director General and a member of the executive office of the Asian Olympic Council, and a member of the Board of Directors of Kuwait Swimming Federation.

During his prime years, Al-Musallam was a prominent swimmer for Kazma Sports Club and served as a member of the Kuwait national teams during 1960s and 1970s. He worked as an administrator in those teams and as a member of the club’s board of directors as well as in the Kuwait Swimming Federation. He has held many positions in the committees of the International Olympic Committee and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). He has been representing Kuwait in the International Olympic Games since 1980 until now.