| · Acrobatics | · Ballooning | · Boating |
| · Aerobics | · Bandy | · Bobsledding |
| · Aikido | · Baseball | · Bocce |
| · Air hockey | · Basketball | · Body boarding |
| · Air sports | · Beach Volleyball | · Bodybuilding |
| · Archery | · Beach soccer | · Bowling |
| · Arm wrestling | · Biathlon | · Boxing |
| · Auto sports | · Bicycling | · Bridge |
| · Badminton | · Billiards | · Canoeing |
| · Backgammon | · Boardsailing | · Chess |
| · Climbing | · Jousting | · Skateboarding |
| · Cricket | · Judo | · Skydiving |
| · Crew | · Karate | · Sledge dog racing |
| · Croquet | · Kayaking | · Snowboarding |
| · Curling | · Kiting | · Snowmobiling |
| · Cycling | · Korfball | · Snowshoeing |
| · Darts | · Lacrosse | · Soaring |
| · Diving | · Lawn bowling | · Soccer |
| · Dog racing | · Lifesaving | · Softball |
| · Equestrian events | · Luge | · Speed skating |
| · Exercise / Fitness | · Martial arts | · Squash |
| · Fastball | · Military sports | · Stickball |
| · Fencing | · Motor boating | · Street hockey |
| · Field hockey | · Motor cycling | · Surfing |
| · Figure skating | · Motorsports | · Swimming |
| · Fishing | · Netball | · Synchronized swimming |
| · Flag football | · Orienteering | · Table tennis |
| · Foosball | · Paddle sports | · Taekwondo |
| · Football | · Paddle tennis | · Team handball |
| · Frisbee / ultimate | · Parachuting | · Tennis |
| · Golf | · Pentathlon | · Track-and-field |
| · Greyhound racing | · Platform tennis | · Trampoline |
| · Gymnastics | · Polo | · Triathlon |
| · Handball | · Power lifting | · Tug-of-war |
| · Hang gliding | · Racquetball | · Underwater hockey |
| · Hockey | · Rodeo | · Volleyball |
| · Horse racing | · Roller hockey | · Water polo |
| · Horseshoes | · Roller skating | · Waterskiing |
| · Hunting | · Rowing / crew | · Weight lifting |
| · Hydroplaning | · Rugby | · Wrestling |
| · Ice hockey | · Running | · Yachting |
| · Ice racing | · Sailing | |
| · Ice skating | · Scuba diving | |
| · In-line skating | · Shooting | |
| · Jai alai | · Shuffleboard | |
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Types of sport events
Friday, May 11, 2007
Kuwait Olympic Committee : A Historical Overview
The Kuwaiti people have known about sports since the Kuwaiti lands were found. At that time man was obliged to exercise sports as a daily job, in order to gain his daily bread. The Kuwaiti citizens were in a continuous struggle for hundreds of years in order to adapt with the sea and land so they mastered swimming, diving, rowing and navigation and also mastered hunting, shooting, horseback riding, and tracking.
Although the ways of life had changed in Kuwait with time, the Kuwaiti citizens did not change their means of adaptation with the sea and land. In other words what was known to be a mean of surviving became a hobby which every citizen enjoys doing.
Kuwait entered into the modern world as a modern country that provided its people with high standards that would enable them to adapt. For that reason this hobby that was born within them had to be refined in a way that the sports activity would take a new organization and orientation form.
Sports began in Kuwait as a mean to blow off some steam and fill their free time; moreover it was exercised without any restrictions, rules or basis. With the emergence of modern education in the country in 1936, sports were included in school programs. This emergence in the forties had led to the setting of the sports principles. With the development of society and the sports principles some Kuwaitis formed sports teams that participated in tournaments.
After the discovery of petroleum in the Kuwait, everything in the country progressed. Sports developed continuously, where teams and clubs were formed under the supervision of “al Maaref” council. Furthermore, with the progress of education the sports movement spread rapidly and the number of its fans increased. All that required a new organization form that would develop the sports in the country. It is to be noted that this organization form could be considered the second phase in the history of the Kuwaiti sports movement.
Sports in Kuwait
The modern sports were first known in Kuwait in 1932 and the first football team i.e. “Alahli” club was established in 1947, then “Jazeerah” followed by “Al Hilal”.
The Kuwaitis had their own private and simple sports games, which reflected their social and economic daily life. They knew about swimming not as a sport with all its rules but rather as an important mean to practice their daily activities such as diving, fishing, and overseas trade. In addition to that their coastal environment and their calm sea, gave them the opportunity to blow up some steam and fill up their free time.
We should bear in mind that in the old times electricity was not available so the sea was considered the Kuwaitis only refuge from the hot days. Swimming was considered an important social need, inherited from one generation to another. This was the case long ago, for example the Kuwaitis knew about back horse riding due to their need for means of transportation in addition to their tribe life of chivalry to prove oneself and heroism. Popular games included running and some primitive sports similar to track and field games; modern sports were known starting from 1932 and that is when the first football team was formed. In 1936 “Al Maaref” council was founded and mandated in educational matters.
With the organization of education, sports were given some of the primary organization forms and some educational supervision which was represented by the presence of the first physical education trainer Muhammad al Maghribi. The latter came within a Palestinian trainee mission by a request from the late Sheikh Abdallah al Jaber el Sabah- the king’s consultant-head of the “Al Maaref” council and department. Afterwards, and due to the increase in the number of schools and students and the settlement of sports, it is then that Kuwait knew about sports training, running and gymnastics. Thanks to Fahed Muhammad al Sidrawi who used to reside in India, football in all its rules was known in Kuwait in 1935. He was also considered to be one of the first men who formed an organized Kuwaiti team and trained it as well. In 1935 the first organized team “ The Nation’s Youth” was formed under the supervision of Ahmad Afandi.
At that time youngsters were convinced that football is the best thing to do during their free times. So they started forming several teams, and football became more and more popular.
In 1938 sports became an aspiration to all society members. The establishment of the literature club by a group of intellectuals headed by Sheikh Adullah al Jaber al Sabah came as a satisfaction to this need where the club covered both sports and literature.
In 1949 the number of clubs increased to three, knowing that the cultural club was established in the same year and “Alahli” club in 1947. This latter had sports at the heart of its activities thus becoming the 1st specialized sports’ club. Afterwards “Al Jazira” club was established in 1953, and then a group of young men left it and in turn formed “Al Hilal” club, which was soon substituted in 1954 for another club under the name of “Al Oruba”.
In 1953 “Al Khalij” club was established, and in 1954 the Cooperation club followed by “Al Nahda” club and the East Riadi club. In addition to that, year 4591 A.H. witnessed the establishment of four other clubs out of which some were classified as the 2nd category clubs. The decision regarding the dissolution of these clubs in addition to the freezing of all their activities issued in 1959, came as a declaration of the end of the first stage in the development of the Kuwaiti clubs. Therefore the presence of a sport organization that includes all these clubs and manages their tournaments was necessary. This is why the Riadi club was established in 1952.
Back then “Al Maaref” department (nowadays known as the ministry of education) took charge of supporting “Etihad el Riadi” financially and literary wise and provided expertise and qualifications until the labor and social affaires department was established were the general sports’ federation became part of it. This is the organization form of the sports’ federation which was separated from the federation and formed its independent organizations in 1957 and this year witnessed the formation of the football federation. The ministry of labor and social affaires announced the establishment of the federation in 1969 and it was re-announced according to the provisions of decree law number 42 for year 1978 under number 79/95 dated on 10/12/97. The Kuwaiti federation joined with the international federation in 1962, with the Asian federation in 1964 and the Arab federation in 1974.