Sheikh Ahmad, the influential IOC member and President of both the OCA and the Association of National Olympic Committees, has already been unanimously cleared of wrongdoing in an internal ethics probe conducted by the organisation's honorary life vice-president Wei Jizhong.

He received a standing ovation at yesterday's OCA Executive Board meeting here and then another at today's General Assembly.

Sheikh Ahmad was identified in a United States Department of Justice (DoJ) document in April in a case involving Guam's Richard Lai, who pleaded guilty to charges of receiving nearly $1 million (£773,000/€915,000) in bribes connected to football governing body, FIFA.

He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and it was claimed that Lai was only paid for work done as an OCA employee.

The OCA ethics panel dismissed the"vicious" allegations before concluding that they were "fake and fabricated".

Sheikh Ahmad welcomed this outcome and claimed that the IOC and FIFA had also "already decided" in their investigations, heavily implying that they have already deemed him innocent.

"I am afraid we are not in a position to comment while the procedure of the Ethics Commission is still ongoing," said an IOC spokesperson when asked for an update.

They later added that no timeline had yet been set.

FIFA nor ANOC have not yet responded to requests about their investigations.

There was no doubt, however, about Sheikh Ahmad's support from his OCA colleagues.

He left the room after a coffee break shortly before Wei delivered his report.

Wei, a close ally of Sheikh Ahmad at the OCA who formerly led the International Volleyball Federation, claimed that the panel consisted of five members from five regional zones and included "juridical professors, judges and lawyers".

They "spoke to witnesses" before reaching a "unanimous conclusion".

There was no written report or detailed explanation delivered, though.

Delegates then lined up to back Sheikh Ahmad, beginning with Maxwell de Silva, the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka secretary general, who received an OCA Merit Award earlier in the day.

Indian Olympic Association President N Ramachandran was among others to offer support.

A delegate from Vietnam added in a pre-written speech that "transparency, fairness and self-promotion are the defining principles we have learned from the Sheikh", adding: "He is a great human being."

A standing ovation then followed as the Kuwaiti - OCA President since 1991 - returned to the room.

Sheikh Ahmad resigned from all footballing roles following the DoJ case first emerging in April, including his membership of the FIFA Council. 

He has also adopted a lower profile on the international sporting stage, opting not to attend recent IOC Sessions in Lausanne and Lima.

Sheikh Ahmad claimed he missed Lima so he could travel here to ensure preparations for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games went smoothly.