Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (10 August 1945 – 2 August 1990) ( ar, الشيخ فهد الأحمد الجابر الصباح ) was a member of the

House of Sabah The House of Sabah ( ar, آل صباح ''Āl Ṣubāḥ'') is the ruling family of Kuwait. History Origin The Al Sabah family originate from the Bani Utbah confederation. Prior to settling in Kuwait, the Al Sabah family were expelled from Umm ...

and a Kuwaiti military officer who was also the founder of the

Asian Handball Federation The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) (Arabic: الاتحاد الآسيوي لكرة اليد) is the governing body of handball and beach handball in Asia. It has 44 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent, but excludes the tra ...

and

Kuwait Olympic Committee Kuwait Olympic Committee ( ar, اللجنة الأولمبية الكويتية, IOC code: KUW) is the National Olympic Committee representing Kuwait and organising the Kuwait Olympic team. 2010–2012 suspension The International Olympic Com ...

. Fahad was killed fighting alongside the Kuwait Emiri Guard in defending Dasman Palace.

Early life

Fahad was the son of Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and was educated in Kuwait for his primary and secondary schooling.

Military career

Fahad was commissioned in the Kuwait Armed Forces on April 22, 1963 as an Aspirant. He pursued further military training in a military institution in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

on July 30, 1964. Fahad was subsequently promoted to

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on July 19, 1965 and

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

on March 1, 1967. On June 7, 1970 he was promoted to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Military commands

* Acting commander by delegation of the 2nd

Commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

Battalion,

Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade The Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade of the State of Kuwait, commonly known as the 25th Commando, is one of Kuwait's various principal Commando brigades. The 25th Commando operates at the disposition of the respective commander who reports to the r ...

attached to the Yarmouk Brigade * Staff Officer in the Kuwait Emiri Guard on November 25, 1968 in the rank of First-Lieutenant

Fatah membership and Six-Day War, 1967

Fahad was a member of the Palestinian group

Fatah Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

when it was headquartered in Jordan. In June 1967, the Kuwait Armed Forces were engaged outside the borders of Kuwait for the first time, during the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

between Israel and four Arab countries (Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Jordan). Fahad took part in the Six-Day War attached to the Yarmouk Brigade of the

Kuwait Army The Kuwait Army, established in 1949, is the oldest armed branch among the military of Kuwait. Its cavalry and infantry predecessors operated in desert and metropolitan areas in 1919, 1920 and 1928 to 1938, tracing their roots directly to the ca ...

; as acting commander by delegation of the 2nd Commando Battalion, on the Egyptian front. In 1971 Fahad was arrested due to his involvement in Fatah activities and sent to Kuwait.

Olympic and sports administration career

Kuwait sports

* President,

, 1974–1985 and 1989–1990. * President, Qadsia Sports Club, 1969–1979. * President, Kuwait Basketball Federation, 1974–1978.

Arab sports

* First Vice President, Arab Sports Union 1976–1990. * First Vice- President, Arab Basketball Federation 1974–1976.

Asian sports

* President,

, 1974–1990. * President,

Asian Games Federation The Asian Games Federation (AGF) was the governing body of sports in Asia from 1949 to 1982. The federation was disbanded on 16 November 1982 in New Delhi and succeeded by the Olympic Council of Asia. The AGF was responsible for the organisation ...

, 1979–1982. * President,

Olympic Council of Asia The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current Acting President is Raja Randhir Singh, substituting Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah. The headquarter ...

, 1982–1990.

International sports

* Vice-President,

International Handball Federation The International Handball Federation (IHF) is the administrative and controlling body for handball and beach handball. IHF is responsible for the organisation of handball's major international tournaments, notably the IHF World Men's Handball C ...

, 1980–1990. * Vice-President, Association of National Olympic Committee, 1979–1990. * Member,

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

, 1981–1990. * Member, IOC Executive Board, 1985–1989.

1982 World Cup incident

During the match against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

at the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...

, France scored a goal while some of the Kuwaiti players had stopped, having heard a whistle. The goal was initially awarded by the referee, who had not blown, but was cancelled after Fahad stepped onto the field and ordered the referee to reverse his decision. A few months before his death, Fahad invited

Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, ...

(at the time the French football team's captain) to apologize for his unethical behavior eight years before.

Dasman Palace

In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait.The Crimes of Saddam Hussein
by Dave Johns While Kuwait was being overrun, the

Emir of Kuwait The Emir of the State of Kuwait is the monarch and head of state of Kuwait, the country's most powerful office. The emirs of Kuwait are members of the Al Sabah dynasty. Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became the emir of Kuwait on 30 Sept ...

escaped from the country. Various

Military Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

units were engaged in different battle sectors; Fahad died fighting alongside the Kuwait Emiri Guard commanders in the

Battle of Dasman Palace The Battle of Dasman Palace ( ''maʿraka Qaṣr Dasmān''), also called the Battle of Dasman, was a battle between the Kuwaiti and Iraqi forces during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990. Battle On 2 August 1990, shortly after 00:00 ...

Personal life

Fahad was married and was the father of five sons and one daughter. One of his sons is

Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, احمد الفهد الاحمد الجابر الصباح; born 12 August 1963), also known as Ahmad Al-Fahad, is a Kuwaiti politician and sports administrator who is the former president o ...

, who was president of the

, as well as a member of the

Honours and awards

National

* Military Service Medal, Bronze * Medal of Military Duty, First Class

Foreign

* Order of military courage of Egypt, First Class * Order of Republic of Tunisia * Order of Republic of Yemen, First Class * Honorary Doctorate from

Helwan University Helwan University is a public university based in Helwan, Egypt, which is part of Greater Cairo on over . It comprises 23 faculties and two higher institutes in addition to 50 research centers. Overview Helwan University is a member of the E ...

, Egypt * Olympic Gold Medal from the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf * Appreciation Decoration on behalf of UNESCO * Honorary Doctorate in Law from University of Seoul, South Korea * Honorary citizenship of Japan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabah, Fahad 1945 births 1990 deaths House of Al-Sabah Sport in Kuwait Founders of sporting institutions Anti-Zionism Military personnel killed in the Gulf War Deaths by firearm in Kuwait Kuwaiti murder victims People murdered in Kuwait Fatah members