Sheikha Naima Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 2: Under the patronage of Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, the inaugural West Asia Women’s Volleyball Clubs Championship kicks off today at Salwa Al-Sabah Club Hall. The 10-day event features 12 participating clubs, divided into three groups:

Group 1: Qatar (Qatar), Al-Ula (Saudi Arabia), Al-Qalamoun (Lebanon), and Al-Fatat (Kuwait)

Group 2: Sharjah (UAE), Al-Arabi (Qatar), Al-Nasr (Yemen), and Salwa Al-Sabah (Kuwait)

Group 3: Al-Nasr (Jordan), Al-Quds (Palestine), Al-Faihaa (Saudi Arabia), and Sanharib (Iraq)

Today’s opening-round fixtures include four matches:

11:00 AM: Qatar vs Al-Ula

1:00 PM: Al-Nasr (Jordan) vs Al-Quds (Palestine)

3:00 PM: Sharjah vs Al-Arabi

5:00 PM: Al-Nasr (Yemen) vs Salwa Al-Sabah

The championship will conclude on December 13.

Sheikha Naima Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Chairwoman of Salwa Sports Club, affirmed that all organizing committees are fully prepared to host this landmark event, the first of its kind in Kuwait.

Speaking during a press conference held at the club, she highlighted the extensive preparations carried out in coordination with the West Asia Volleyball Federation. Sheikha Naima stressed that hosting the championship stems from the club’s strong belief in supporting women’s sports in Kuwait and showcasing the progress made in recent years.

She noted that Kuwait has increasingly become a preferred destination for women’s sporting events, supported by modern facilities and qualified staff capable of organizing competitions at a regional level.

The organizational plan, she said, included preparing the main hall to international standards, setting up training courts, and ensuring the readiness of medical and technical teams. Coordination with government agencies and the federation helped streamline entry procedures for visiting delegations and ensure smooth transport and accommodation logistics, projecting an image of Kuwait as a capable regional host.

Sheikha Naima also revealed that the West Asia Volleyball Federation had approved Salwa Club’s organizational files, confirming the club’s ability to manage regional tournaments with professionalism.

She emphasized that the tournament represents an important step in elevating the role of women in sports across the Gulf and West Asia, noting that the strong participation underlines the development of women’s clubs in the region and encourages more girls to enter the sports field.

Looking ahead, she said Salwa Club aims to expand its international presence, compete for top honors, and bid to host larger continental competitions, further enhancing the status of women’s sports in Kuwait and developing future generations of female athletes.

She wished the participating teams’ success and encouraged fans to attend and support the matches, highlighting the positive impact of spectator presence. She also announced the signing of two Russian players and one Serbian player to reinforce Salwa’s squad for the West Asia challenge.

In other news, Kuwait’s men’s national volleyball team earned its first win at the Arab Men’s Challenge Cup, defeating Palestine 3–0 (25–22, 25–12, 25–17) in the third round of the tournament currently underway in Amman, Jordan.

Kuwait had earlier suffered losses to Tunisia and Jordan. The team faced Bahrain yesterday and will wrap up its campaign against Egypt on Friday.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff