The Kuwait Olympic Committee sent a delegation of 120 athletes to compete in 16 sports at the 20th Asian Games that opened on September 19 in Nagoya and continue until October 4. According to the committee president Sheikh Fahd Nasser Al-Sabah the participation represents a significant opportunity to display Kuwaiti athletic abilities on a major continental platform following three gold medals at the 2023 edition in Hangzhou. Sheikh Fahd Nasser Al-Sabah added that full preparations were completed to support an honorable performance that meets public expectations. The Games feature more than 11,000 competitors from 45 nations across 43 disciplines.
Kuwait earned its first gold medal when karate athlete Abdullah Shaaban won the men’s kumite under-60kg title on September 20. Shaaban described the competition as extremely strong with some of the continent’s top athletes taking part but said his determination to raise Kuwait’s flag was the main motivation behind his success. The teqball team of Basil Ahmed and Abdulwahab Al-Qattan then claimed bronze in the men’s doubles event marking the first Asian Games medal for Kuwait in that sport. These results arrived after a send-off reception in August where para fencer Aisha Al-Matar told Kuwait Times she hoped to improve on her 10th-place finish from the prior Asian Para Games.
Sayed Mohammed Al-Mousawi captured bronze in the men’s individual kata on September 21 after facing the Japanese world number one during the preliminaries. Al-Mousawi expressed pride in the achievement as a valuable career milestone and shifted attention to the team kata competition. The Kuwaiti shooting team posted competitive qualification scores in the skeet event with Abdullah Al-Rashidi recording 48 out of 50 targets. Swimmer Khaled Al-Otaibi set a national record in the 200m individual medley at 2:07.14 during his heats according to competition updates.
On September 23 the team of Sayed Mohammed Al-Mousawi, Sayed Salman Al-Mousawi and Mohammed Hussein won gold in the men’s team kata with a composed and accurate display that topped the standings. The Kuwait Olympic Committee noted the trio celebrated to the national anthem after defeating strong opposition including from Macao in the final. The same day the skeet team of Abdullah Al-Rashidi, Mohammed Al-Daihani and Mohammed Al-Awad took silver after a tight battle that ended with 348 targets hit. These additions brought the delegation’s total to two golds one silver and two bronzes midway through the program.
The modern pentathlon athletes qualified for the Games through results at the Asian Championships in Japan last year securing three spots that placed them directly into the semifinals. Nasser Al-Waleed president of the Kuwait Modern Pentathlon Club said the team faced 36 athletes from 14 countries in an event that begins with fencing and includes swimming and laser run segments. Habari Al-Thuwaini and Retaj Abdulhussain competed in the women’s individual semifinals while Mohammed Al-Suhaibi represented the men. The club indicated the athletes aimed to advance as far as possible in the format.
Athletics events saw Madawi Al-Shammari compete in the women’s 100m while Issa Al-Zankawi and Abdullah Al-Zankawi targeted podium positions in the men’s discus final. The handball team opened group play with a 26-23 loss to South Korea but maintained contention in a pool that includes Iran Bahrain and Kazakhstan. Ammar Al-Tamimi progressed to the squash men’s singles round of 16 following a 3-2 victory over his Chinese opponent. Kuwait Times reported that the flag-raising ceremony at the Olympic Village on September 16 highlighted the full delegation’s readiness for the remaining schedule.
