The Government there have ordered the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to vacate their headquarters building in Kuwait City by April, a time frame that now appears key to all sides if any agreement is to be reached ahead of this summer's Olympic Games.

It follows the Gulf nation’s suspension from the IOC in October, allegedly to protect the country from "undue Government interference” following the passing of a deadline to amend a controversial new law allowing far greater control over all sports bodies.

Athletes from Kuwait will not be able to compete at the Games in Rio de Janeiro in August unless the ban is lifted because the Government plan to stop them competing under the Olympic flag, as has happened in the past when a National Olympic Committee is suspended.

Flames were further stoked yesterday when the Government vowed to sue Association of National Olympic Committees and OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah for $1.3 billion (£901 million/€1.2 billion) as a part of a lawsuit seeking compensation for the country facing the prospect of missing Rio 2016.

Sheikh Ahmad’s brother, the Kuwait Olympic Committee and the Kuwait Football Association President Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad Al Sabah is also named in the lawsuit.

The Government are seeking 5,001 dinar (£11,400/$16,500/€15,200) from each Sheikh plus a further 400 million dinar (£901 million/£1.3 billion/€1.2 billion) compensation.

This reaction is “out of this world”, an IOC official told insidethegames today.

“It is certainly an overreaction.”

Both the Kuwaitis and the IOC appear to be in the difficult position of needing to find a solution in order to avoid denying athletes the opportunity to compete at 2016 but to do so without appearing to lose face or by being seen to have conceded defeat to the other side.

While it is sport which is bearing the brunt of the consequences, the issue is deeply political in origin, stretching back to Sheikh Ahmad making public allegations three years ago against two powerful Government Ministers.

He claimed that former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and former speaker Jassem Mohammad Abdul-Mohsem Al-Karafi had laundered money, misused public funds and plotted to topple the Government.

These were eventually dismissed as “fabrications”, however, and he had to apologise to the ruling Emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The Kuwait Misdemeanour Court last month found Shiekh Ahmad guilty of insulting the judiciary and sentenced him to a six-month prison sentence.

They also fined him 1,000 dinar (£2,200/$3,300/€3,000).

At the heart of a dispute is the personal rivalry between Sheikh Ahmad and Kuwait's Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Homud Al-Sabah.

Sheikh Salman had stood unsuccessfully in 2014 to replace Mexico's Olegario Vázquez Raña as President of the International Shooting Sport Federation but was defeated after insidethegames revealed he had been using his Government position to try to influence voters.

The threat to expel the OCA from their headquarters building, which was only opened in 2014, is another concern.

At present, OCA officials are still working there as normal, insidethegames understands, although there have been occasional unscheduled police inspections of the facility.

The OCA still hopes to hold its next Executive Board meeting in Kuwait in early April, although it appears unlikely this will go ahead unless there is a cooling of tensions.

There are still no specific plans for a meeting between the Kuwaitis and either the OCA and IOC, insidethegames understands. 

Such a meeting is considered vital for all sides if agreement is to be reached.

The IOC insist, that Kuwait’s suspension will only be lifted if the controversial Sports Law is modified.

A total of 17 other International Federations have also suspended Kuwait, including FIFA.

Sheikh Ahmad, currently believe to be based in Switzerland, is yet to comment on the compensation lawsuit.