Sheikh Ahmad announced in September 2021 that he was temporarily stepping down as head of the OCA after being found guilty of forgery in a court in Geneva and sentenced to at least 13 months in prison.

India's Randhir Singh, the former secretary general of the OCA, stepped in as Interim President and chaired today’s General Assembly here.

But Singh, who is due to turn 76 next week, has no interest in taking on the role permanently.

Ali Al Marri, deputy secretary general of the Kuwait Olympic Committee (KOC), announced at the end of today’s meeting that it would nominate Al-Musallam as the new President if Sheikh Ahmad was not cleared at an appeal in Switzerland.

Al-Musallam is already director general of the OCA, having first joined the organisation in 1982, and held his current role since 2005.

The 62-year-old, a former airline pilot, is also President of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), having been elected in June 2021, and secretary general of the KOC.

"He is one of the people who built the OCA step by step, brick by brick," said Ali Al Marri.

Al-Musallam could be officially elected to replace Sheikh Ahmad at the OCA General Assembly in Kuwait next year.

It was announced at last year's OCA General Assembly in Dubai that Kuwait would host the 2023 edition, although this was not officially confirmed at today's meeting.

If Al-Musallam is elected, it would not be unprecedented being President of FINA and his Continental Association at the same time.

His predecessor at FINA, Julio Maglione, was President of both swimming’s world governing body and the Pan American Sports Organization for two years between 2015 and 2017.

Ali Al Marri also pledged that Kuwait wanted the country to remain the home of the OCA "forever".

The OCA was founded in 1982 by Sheikh Ahmad’s father, Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Sheikh Fahad was killed fighting alongside the Kuwait Emiri Guard in defending Dasman Palace during Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Sri Lanka’s Roy de Silva acted as a temporary President until Sheikh Ahmad replaced him in July 1991.

Sheikh Ahmad was one of the most influential figures in the Olympic Movement and widely credited with having helped Thomas Bach get elected in 2013 as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President.

He self-suspended himself as an IOC member and stepped aside as President of the Association of National Olympic Committees in November 2018 when he was charged with forgery.

Sheikh Ahmad did not relinquish his OCA role until 13 months ago after he was found guilty, together with three lawyers and an advisor, following a plot to make false videos to damage members of the Kuwaiti Government.

He was sentenced to almost 14 months' jail time, with a further 15 months suspended.

Sheikh Ahmad has always denied any wrongdoing and remains optimistic he will be cleared at his appeal.