LAUSANNE (AFP) - The Asian Shooting Championship lost its Olympics qualifying status on Thursday (Oct 29) after tournament hosts Kuwait banned an Israeli official from taking part.

The International Olympic Committee executive board said it had revoked the qualification status of the Nov 1 to12 event following a request from the International Sports Shooting Federation (ISSF).

Kuwait had denied a visa to Israeli Yair Davidovich who was due to supervise the event.

"The denial of a visa is against the non-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter," said an IOC statement.

Another reason for Thursday's decision is the fact that the Kuwait National Olympic Committee is currently suspended by the IOC due to government interference.