The Ambassador of Oman presents the award to Dr Al-Mari.

MARRAKECH, Nov 29: Dr. Jaber Al-Mari, Chairman of the Kuwait Volleyball Federation, has been named Best Arab Sports CEO by the General Secretariat of the “Global Award.” The honor was presented during a recent ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco, where the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Morocco handed Al-Mari the award.

The recognition highlights the progress achieved by Kuwaiti sports administrators and their role in elevating various sports over recent years.

He noted that he is the first Kuwaiti sports figure to receive this distinction—an achievement he says reflects the status of Kuwaiti sports across the Arab world.

Dr. Al-Mari expressed his deep appreciation to the organizers of the Global Award for their trust in selecting him for this honor. He described the award as a badge of pride and a responsibility that motivates him to continue working to advance volleyball in particular and Kuwaiti sports in general.

Dr. Al-Mari also praised the ceremony’s organization and the presence of prominent Arab figures from various fields. He expressed hope that more Kuwaiti sports leaders will be recognized in the future, noting that Kuwait continues to produce talented administrators with modern visions and effective planning skills across all sporting disciplines.

In other action, Kuwait’s men’s volleyball team suffered a 3–0 loss to Tunisia (23–25, 21–25, 24–26) in the opening round of the inaugural Arab Men’s Challenge Cup, currently taking place in Amman, Jordan.

Kuwait faced host nation Jordan yesterday, while the tournament teams are scheduled for a rest day today.

Jassem Al-Failakawi, head of the Kuwaiti delegation, said the team delivered a strong performance despite not being fully prepared for the tournament. He added that facing a high-level team like Tunisia—ranked globally and a participant in the World Cup—offered a valuable test for Kuwait’s young players and provided them with important experience.

He explained that Kuwait entered the match missing four key players due to injury, which posed an additional challenge for the squad. Still, the players on court performed with significant effort and represented the country honorably.

Al-Failakawi affirmed that the team will continue working with focus and determination ahead of the upcoming matches, expressing full confidence in the coaching and administrative staff to help the players improve their results and raise their performance level in the next rounds.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff