PRAGUE — The sheikh is back.
Out of the spotlight since April, when he was identified as a co-conspirator in a United States sports bribery and corruption investigation, Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah of Kuwait, the head of the influential umbrella organization for the world’s 205 national Olympic federations, took center stage at a meeting of the group here this week.
Though he is largely unknown to sports fans and viewers of the Games, Sheikh Ahmad has an outsized presence behind the scenes in global sports. Over the last two decades, he has used his influence, exerted mainly through control over millions of dollars worth of sports funds, to push the agenda of a favored candidate in an election, or a bidding city in the race to host major events.