Al-Hajri calls for fair assessment of Kuwait handball results

Acting President of the Kuwait Handball Federation, Shabib Al-Hajri.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 3: Acting President of the Kuwait Handball Federation Shabib Al-Hajri said the exceptional circumstances Kuwaiti handball faced in recent months had a significant impact on the national teams’ results in their latest international commitments.

He stressed, however, that the circumstances should not be viewed as an excuse for the results, but rather as an important factor when evaluating the teams’ performances.

Al-Hajri explained that competitions and training were almost completely halted from February through June, for nearly four months, because of the security situation and the war in the region. During that period, other Gulf and Asian teams and clubs continued their training and competitive schedules as normal.

“We returned to competition and the Asian qualifiers knowing that the preparation time we lost could not be recovered in a matter of days or weeks. It was natural for that to affect our performances and results, particularly at youth level, where continuity and gradual preparation are essential,” he said.

Al-Hajri said the federation accepts criticism and performance assessments, but called for them to be fair.

“We are not saying the results are beyond criticism, nor are we rejecting evaluation. But we cannot be assessed as if all teams entered the competitions under identical circumstances and had the same preparation period,” he said.

He acknowledged that fans and the handball community have every right to demand better results, but added that players and technical and administrative staff also deserve recognition of the difficult circumstances they experienced.

Al-Hajri called for a focus on rebuilding rather than assigning blame, saying the priority now is to assess the situation, learn from mistakes, and develop a plan to make up for lost preparation time.

He concluded: “Constructive criticism is essential for developing our national teams, but fairness must come first. The circumstances must be taken into consideration in any assessment.”