Tunisia: Sports officials arrested for complying with international flag ban

Tunisia authorities have arrested several sports officials for failing to display the country’s flag during a national swimming competition, BBC reports. The officials include the head of Tunisia’s swimming federation and the head of the country’s anti-doping agency. 

The non-display of the flag stemmed from sanctions levied by World Anti-Doping Agency on Tunisia for failing to comply with the revised global anti-doping code. The sanctions prevent Tunisia from hosting any major sporting events and prohibits its flag from appearing at such events including the Paris Olympics. 

The covering of the flag at the competition in Tunis reportedly threw the country’s autocratic President Kais Saied into a rage, calling it “an act of aggression.”  

Tunisia’s youth and sports ministry later announced the dissolution of the swimming federation board, as well as the dismissal of the head of the Tunisian anti-doping agency, in an online statement. 

The decision followed "instructions" by President Saied "to take immediate measures... against those responsible for the incident of hiding the national flag", the statement added.