The Kuwait Volleyball Association is organizing a 12-day specialized course for new referees that will blend theoretical lectures with hands-on training at the Leaders Preparation Center in Khaldiya. International referee Ali Al-Ostad, who chairs the Referees Committee, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Anizan, the committee’s rapporteur, will lead sessions covering technical and legal aspects of officiating along with recent rule amendments. The program forms part of the association’s wider push to attract young talent and ensure competitions maintain required professional standards, the association reported. FIVB data places the Kuwait men’s national volleyball team 77th in world senior rankings, highlighting the importance of robust domestic referee development to support competitive progress.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Anizan stated that the program is designed to develop a new generation of referees and strengthen the overall standard of officiating in line with the continued growth of volleyball locally and regionally. He added that the initiative would help provide the association’s competitions with qualified referees in the coming seasons while laying the foundation for a young and capable refereeing base. The Kuwait Volleyball Association has coordinated closely with its Referees Committee on the effort, which builds on similar preparatory programs run ahead of each season.
Al-Anizan noted that the committee regularly organizes training and qualification programs for both existing and new referees to ensure they are fully prepared to officiate matches across all age groups. He stressed that keeping referees updated on the latest technical and legal developments has contributed positively to their performances. The standard of Kuwaiti volleyball referees has improved significantly in recent years, he said, reflecting ongoing work to develop and qualify national officiating talent.
This latest course arrives as the Kuwait Volleyball Association finalizes preparations for the 2026-2027 season, including recent approvals for new working committees across its operations. The association, which serves as the sport’s governing body in Kuwait through its official platform at volleyball.org.kw, continues to align its efforts with broader initiatives from the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the FIVB. Such programs emphasize practical readiness, with participants expected to transition gradually into match officiating roles after completion.
Regional volleyball growth has prompted similar referee development drives across Asia, where the FIVB Refereeing Development Programme has trained cohorts to handle evolving rules and match scenarios. Kuwait’s initiative mirrors these international benchmarks by focusing on both physical conditioning and rule interpretation for emerging officials. The association’s Board of Directors has backed the Referees Committee in these repeated training cycles to elevate overall performance levels.
Participants in the August 30 to September 10 sessions will address real-game situations that commonly arise during competitions while receiving guidance drawn from the leaders’ international experience. The Kuwait Volleyball Association expects the course to reinforce its referee pool in time for domestic leagues and tournaments that draw increasing participation. Al-Anizan highlighted the direct link between updated referee training and sustained improvements observed in recent seasons of play.
