KUWAIT CITY, March 9: Touché Company for Sports Development, in coordination with Kuwait Sports Club and two fencing champions — Balsam and Lulua Al-Ayoub — organized the Open Sports Day for ladies and girls recently as part of the ‘Sports as a Way of Life Program’.
The event is the brainchild of the Al-Ayoub sisters who won the Ashoka Award for Social Creativity in 2009 for empowering women through sports and use of sports as a tool for community development. This is the second sports day for 2010 included in a set consisting of approximately 24 sports events exclusive for women and girls.

With an aim to increase awareness on the importance of sports for women and girls in the Kuwaiti society, the Al-Ayoub sisters have been organizing sports activities to educate the public, particularly the women and girls, on the significance of leading an active life to maintain their physical, mental and psychological health.
The sisters confirmed participants in the sports events are guaranteed privacy in the venues, considering the state-of-the-art sports halls at Kuwait Sports Club, which include five gyms and several extensions.

“We want to encourage a large number of women and girls to engage in sports through these activities. There was a huge turnout in this event and the participants enjoyed various activities like exercises, nutrition consultation and physical therapy. They also played basketball, volleyball and football,” the sisters revealed.
The sisters also thanked Petra Company, Café Organica, Rikvri Physiotherapy and Kuwait Sports Club for supporting the event.
Meanwhile, Dana Al-Saleh, member of the basketball team that won the championship, said she trained with her team and they worked hard to win in the competition. She expressed her happiness for being given a chance to participate in this event. “We always look forward to participating in such sports programs as they are not only fun but also good to our health. We are proud of the Al-Ayoub sisters for organizing this event,” she added.

Samar Al-Muslim, another participant who played with her relatives under the team Samar Fun and won the second place in the basketball game, asserted the event helps women and girls to be fit while having fun. She also affirmed her participation in similar events in the future.
CEO of Touché Company Zahra Al-Saleh disclosed Touché Middle East focuses on raising public awareness on the importance of sports in maintaining a healthy lifestyle by organizing practical sports and health programs. She said the ‘Sports as a Way of Life’ program is the first of its kind in Kuwait and the Middle East as it aims to empower women through sports. She explained the program’s objectives include encouraging ladies and girls to engage in sports, and promote the sports culture and healthy lifestyle in the community.

Al-Saleh added the program includes different sports activities like basketball, volleyball and indoor football with professional female referees. She said there were also training courses in badminton, sports massage and physical therapy, in addition to a recreational sports program for girls below 13 years. She then thanked the participants and all parties that contributed to the success of the program, including Kuwait Sports Club.