Kuwait University placed fourth in the overall standings at the 2nd GCC Women’s Sports Tournament hosted in Qatar from February 6 to 11, according to a February 16 press release from the university. The 35-member team led by acting Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Salem Al-Shammari won first place in three events and collected several medals in fencing, padel and athletics, prompting President Professor Dr. Dina Musaed Al-Mailam to praise the athletes for elevating the university’s profile.
The tournament was the second GCC Women’s Sports Tournament for female students from universities and higher education institutions in the GCC countries and was hosted by Hamad Bin Khalifa University. A host announcement stated that competitions occurred across seven venues, six within Education City and one at Qatar University, with the opening ceremony on February 7 at Al Shaqab’s Longines Indoor Arena. Kuwait University’s delegation included administrators, coaches and athletes who competed in the six sporting events of badminton, padel, 3×3 basketball, athletics, fencing and table tennis.
According to the Kuwait University press release, the team achieved first place in three events with standout performances in fencing where Yasmin Al-Shawaf from the College of Engineering and Petroleum took first place and Jana Al-Mukaimi from the College of Education secured second. Thamarah Al-Shallal of the College of Life Sciences and Rayan Al-Hajri of the College of Engineering and Petroleum both finished second in padel. Badriya Al-Antari from the College of Education earned second place in the shot put.
The university press release noted that the participation aimed to promote women’s sports activities and encourage positive athletic competition across the region. Data from the Gulf Research Center places the number of female athletes at the 2022 GCC Games at 227, competing in six of 16 sports. This university tournament adds to such initiatives by targeting higher education students from all six GCC member states.
Professor Dr. Dina Musaed Al-Mailam honored the students in a separate statement and praised their outstanding performance during the tournament. Al-Mailam said the fourth-place finish in the overall rankings reflects the students’ determination, perseverance and sense of belonging. She noted that the university believes in the principle of a sound mind in a sound body and that sports activities are an integral part of the university’s identity, contributing to the development of well-rounded leadership qualities.
Al-Mailam expressed hope that the students will achieve more medals and higher rankings in future competitions, the statement indicated. The results were announced after the tournament that precedes the seventh edition of the GCC Women’s Games scheduled for 2026 in Doha. Kuwait University’s fourth-place ranking was recorded at an event where women now constitute more than half of university students in several member countries, according to a Baker Institute assessment.
