Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (10 August 1945 – 2 August 1990) was a member of the Kuwaiti ruling family, a military officer, and sports administrator. He was the founder of the Asian Handball Federation and Kuwait Olympic Committee. Fahad was killed by the Iraqi military on the first day of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Early life

Fahad was the son of Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and a Baloch woman, Fatima Mohammed Albalooshi, 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 on 30 July 30, 1964. Fahad was subsequently promoted to Second lieutenant on 19 July 1965 and First lieutenant on 1 March 1967. On 7 June 1970 he was promoted to the rank of Captain.

Military commands

Fatah membership and Six-Day War, 1967

Fahad was a member of the Palestinian group Fatah when it was headquartered in Jordan and later when it moved to Lebanon. In June 1967, the Kuwait Armed Forces were engaged outside the borders of Kuwait for the first time, during the Six-Day War 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; as acting commander by delegation of the 2nd Commando Battalion, on the Egyptian front. In 1971 Fahad was arrested as a fighter in Lebanon and repatriated to Kuwait.

Olympic and sports administration career

Kuwait sports

Arab sports

Asian sports

International sports

1982 World Cup incident

During the match against France at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, 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. In 1988, Fahad invited Michel Platini (at the time the French football team's captain) to play for Kuwait in a preparatory match against the USSR. Platini played for 21 minutes, and was framed by the Kuwaitis as an apology for his unethical behavior eight years before.

Death

Fahad was killed by the Iraqi military at Dasman Palace, the primary residence of his brother, Emir Sheikh Jaber, on the first day of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, August 2, 1990. The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear. According to one account, he arrived late at the palace, which had been designated as a meeting point for a planned escape from Kuwait with his brother the Emir and the Crown Prince. By the time he arrived, the others had already departed, and the Iraqi forces had taken control of the palace and killed him. Another version, possibly exaggerated, suggests he died while "defending the palace." A further account claims he arrived at the palace, engaged in a verbal altercation with an Iraqi guard, and was subsequently shot.

Personal life

Fahad was married and fathered five sons and one daughter. One of his sons, Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, formerly served as the president of the Olympic Council of Asia, and was also a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Honours and awards

National

Foreign