Opening ceremony set for May 22 ‘PAS keen to support youth athletes in bid to achieve success in all upcoming events’

KUWAIT CITY, April 25, (KUNA): Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Muhammad Al-Rajhi affirmed the keenness of the Public Authority for Sports to support youth athletes and provide them with everything necessary to achieve success in the upcoming international, continental and regional sports forums.

In a press statement on Thursday evening, after presiding over the 18th meeting of the Board of Directors of the General Sports Authority, which was held at the authority’s headquarters, Minister Al-Rajhi stressed the need to follow up on all plans set by the Public Authority for Sports to develop the sports movement in cooperation with sports clubs and federations.

He stated that the council discussed a number of topics related to sports affairs aimed at sponsoring sports youth during the coming period, calling on all elements of the sports system to cooperate in advancing the sports movement in the country.

The meeting was attended by a number of council members, namely, the director general of the authority, Hammoud Fleiteh, and Faisal Al-Maqsed, representing the Ministry of Education, Badr AlWaqayan from the Public Corporation for Housing Welfare, Hamad bin Haider from the Ministry of Information, and Dr. Saqr Al-Mulla and Mahmoud Abel from the executive body of the authority.

Meanwhile, Kuwait Olympic Committee Chairman Sheikh Fahad Al-Nasser said the organizing committee for the third Gulf Sports Tournament, which will be hosted by the State of Kuwait with the participation of all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, scheduled the opening ceremony for the event on May 22 and the closing on May 31, reports Al-Jarida daily.

Sheikh Fahad Al-Nasser, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the organizing committee, affirmed this event will include 16 sports – handball, volleyball, basketball, futsal, swimming, athletics, karate, judo, fencing, archery, tennis, bicycling, ice hockey, table tennis and racket; in addition to electronic sports.

He revealed the group games will start on May 13 as it takes more time to set up these games than the individual games. He considers this Gulf sports event an opportunity to highlight the Gulf talents in the abovementioned sports.

He added that women will participate in the tournament for the first time; stressing this will be in line with the global system implemented in regional, continental and international tournaments. He disclosed that women will compete in futsal, cycling, athletics, table tennis, basketball (3x3), racket and electronic sports.