Handballers, karateka win bronze
KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti national handball team won a bronze medal on Thursday by defeating Japan with a score of 31-30 in the third-place match at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. The national team played the third-place match after losing to Qatar in the semifinals, while Japan lost to Bahrain. Kuwait’s national handball team had not reached the semifinals of the Asian Games since 2006, when they grabbed the gold medal after winning the final match against the host country Qatar.
Also on Thursday, Kuwaiti karateka Salman Al-Mousawi won the bronze medal in the individual kata competition of the 2022 Asian Games. Mousawi defeated Iraqi karateka Pinar Mustafa to raise Kuwait’s tally to eight medals — two gold, three silver and three bronze. In a statement to KUNA, President of the Kuwait Karate Federation Fayez Al-Daihani expressed his pride in Mousawi’s distinguished victory, adding he expects more medals by Kuwaiti players in the upcoming competitions, considering their distinguished performance.
He stressed the federation is working continuously to achieve the best results in all major tournaments, noting the efforts of Mousawi, his teammates and the technical and administrative staff in achieving this victory. Member of the Board of Directors of Kuwait Olympic Committee and director of the Kuwaiti delegation participating in the Asian Games, Fatima Hayat, said a great amount of effort between the authorities responsible for Kuwaiti sports and the high directives of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah have helped Kuwaiti players win at the games.
She expressed happiness with the achievements made by the Kuwaiti champions as they obtained two new bronze medals. Both Daihani and Hayat dedicated these achievements to Kuwait and its political leadership. Meanwhile, Kuwait on Thursday congratulated Morocco after FIFA’s approval of a bid by Morocco, Spain and Portugal to jointly host the 2030 World Cup. The Kuwaiti foreign ministry said in a press release that Kuwait completely trusts the kingdom’s ability to host a successful edition of the key world championship, regarding this as an international recognition of its special status.
The ministry wished the three countries best of luck in hosting this significant sports event. Kuwait also voiced its welcome and support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. The foreign ministry said in a press release that Kuwait completely backs Saudi efforts to host this championship, which reflect the comprehensive development of the kingdom and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, enabling them to organize various international sports activities. – KUNA
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