Category: Sports

52 years ago to this day, boxing legend Muhammad Ali visited Kuwait as part of his broader trip to the Gulf region, which included his religious pilgrimage to Mecca.

During his visit to Kuwait, he engaged in various activities including meeting with local leaders, interacting with fans, and spreading messages of peace and unity. He was given a hero’s welcome and everywhere he went he was accompanied by an entourage of famous media personalities and athletes.

Thanks to the archivists Bader Alshaiji, I was able to get a hold of some photos of Muhammad Ali’s visit to share with my readers. A lot of these photos haven’t been seen since they were originally published 50 years ago.

For more photos from Ali’s visit, click here.
Make sure you visit Bader’s Instagram account if you’re interested in more old photos of Kuwait @badshaiji

This is something I never thought I’d write about, Kuwait’s National Ski Team. Over the past few weeks, Kuwaiti athletes have been participating in competitions organized by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and Ski Dubai.

Four Kuwaiti athletes took part in various competitions:

Salman Alkandari
Abdulwahab Almaatouq
Faris Alobaid
Abdulrahman Alwahibi

The journey to get to this point took Faris Alobaid (@therealcurator) nearly 5 years of intense lobbying to make it happen. The team eventually became fully affiliated with “Kuwait Winter Sports Club” which is how they were able to get an FIS seat and become the first athletes to compete under the Kuwait National Ski Team banner.

The athletes are now planning to compete extensively during the winter seasons to rack up as many points as possible with the aim to qualify Kuwait to enter the Winter Olympics 2026.

Training is going to be challenge for obvious reasons. To compete at an international level requires a lot of investment, correct gear and training, which they had none of. They just winged it with their own equipment because it was a last minute thing and they needed to desperately start collecting points.

Now that they’re back in Kuwait after taking part in the competitions, the ski team is hoping to get more financial and moral support from the Kuwait Olympic Committee.

They also want to start rallying the private and government sector to financially invest in winter sports to help put Kuwait on the international map. Both UAE and Saudi Arabia have made skiing a national priority by investing heavily in the sport. Saudi Arabia, for example, is set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in NEOM.

Most importantly though, the ski team right now needs investment in gear and the hiring of a coach. They really want to pave the way and inspire the next generation of Kuwaiti male and female skiers.

To stay updated on their progress and other winter teams and athletes, follow @kuwait_wgc and @fahad_alajmi_10

Every Monday and Tuesday the Kuwait Motor Town racetrack is open to cyclist and it’s free.

The track is 5.6KM long but has 3 different configurations, each a different length so you can pick and choose which part of the track you want to ride on. The track isn’t flat but has uphills and downhills which makes for a more interesting ride (my Apple Watch recorded 14m of elevation).

I got there yesterday while the sun was setting, and it was such a chill experience riding around the track. Because the track is far off the main road and not surrounded by anything, it was very quiet with only my own bike making any sounds. There were less than a dozen other riders when I was there so the track was empty. But even if there were 30 or 40 riders, it would still feel empty because it’s such a large racetrack.

Riding around without having to worry about potholes, curbs or cars running you off the road is very calming especially with the beautiful backdrop of the sunset. Once the sun disappears the track lights come on for nighttime riding and that’s a completely different experience as well.

If you want to try riding at the track, they open to the public from 4PM to 8PM on Mondays and Tuesdays. You don’t need to pay anything or even register, just get to the track, park your car in the parking lot and then ride into the racetrack. There is a security guard there with a sign in sheet, just put your name and number and continue onto the track. You need a helmet but that’s the only requirement. You can’t bring rollerblades, scooters or skateboards onto the track, but if you want to walk, jog, or run around the track you can.

There is also plenty of security and even an ambulance on standby in case of any emergency or an injury, it’s all very professional.

The only downside really is that it’s around a 30-to-40-minute drive out depending on where you live. If you don’t know where the track is, here is the location on Google Maps.

Their website is kmt.kw and their instagram is @kmtkw

Earlier this year, I discovered the Sahara Golf Club driving range, and it turned into a fun outdoor activity that I enjoyed a couple of times with friends.

The driving range is located inside the golf course and you are driven to it on their golf carts. You don’t need to know how to play golf to be able to enjoy the driving range, it’s just an open area where you hit balls as far as you can. It’s a popular activity in the States and can be something you do alone or with a group of friends.

The cost for using the driving range is surprisingly affordable considering it’s at the Sahara Golf Club. For non-members, it’s 10KD for 2 hours and that includes 150 balls. If you don’t have a golf club, you can rent one for 3KD while an additional 150 balls are also 3KD.

The Sahara Golf Club is open daily from 5:30 AM, and the last check-in time for the driving range is 8 PM. To use the driving range just head to their golf shop or book ahead by calling them up on 22203410/11.

There is a basic dress code which I’ve shared above. They also offer lessons if you’re interested. At just 13KD, I think this is one of the most affordable and fun outdoor activities in Kuwait. Here is the link to their website.

Photo on top from @itsgee98

This is the most random thing ever, I can’t tell if they’re trolling or not. YouTube

Kuwait is currently holding the 2023 IBF World Bowling Championship and I don’t think anybody knows. The international sporting event which started on October 4th and is ongoing until October 15th is taking place at the Kuwait Bowling Sporting Club in Salmiya. The bowling alley is one of the largest in the region with 48 bowling lanes and when I passed by yesterday, they were all being used for the event.

The men’s competition includes teams from Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, UAE, Oman, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Czechoslovak, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Colombia, Canada, Egypt in addition to Kuwait.

The women’s teams include Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, China, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Denmark, Germany, Colombia, Canada in addition to host Kuwait.

There is plenty of seating if you want to go and watch the event live. When I passed by there were multiple matches taking place simultaneously and I just moved from one area to another to watch the games. Entry to watch the event is free and the matches start at 9AM and continue throughout the day till around 5PM. You can check out the schedule below.

The event is also being streamed live online. They have 4 cameras streaming simultaneously and you can watch those on YouTube. Link

I only watch two sports, Formula 1 and UFC which is why I find this news so exciting. Former 7-time UFC champion and future hall of famer José Aldo is coming to Kuwait! He is going to be the guest of honor for the FERA Championship which is taking place this coming weekend.

In addition to Aldo coming to Kuwait, Renan Barao, the former UFC bantamweight champion is making his return to the fighting scene after leaving the UFC 4 years ago. Barao at one point had one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history and was regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists in the world.

The FERA Championship looks like it’s going to be a pretty huge event. It’s being held over two days at The Arena and they’ll be hosting 11 fights, 7 of which will be MMA while the remaining 4 will be Muay Thai fights. The first day of the event will be the weigh-ins, meet & greet with the fighters and the music show. The second day will be the meet & greet with Aldo followed byall the fights.

Tickets start at 20KD and you can book them through The Arena’s website. José Aldo meet & greet tickets will be sold on the spot and will cost a 10KD.

This is a completely random tidbit that popped up on my feed this morning. Renan Barao, the former UFC bantamweight champion is making his return to the fighting scene after leaving the UFC 4 years ago with a fight next month here in Kuwait. Source

Barao will face Peter Ligier in the main event of Fera Championship’s debut card on October 7. I checked the @ferachampionship Instagram account and it’s still empty as of this post with just a mention in the profile that says the event is on October 6 & 7.

If you’re a UFC fan this looks like it might be a pretty interesting event to go to.

Formula One picked up in popularity over the past few years because of the Netflix documentary “Drive to Survive” so a lot of new (and some old) F1 fans in Kuwait will find this tidbit interesting.

Back in 2014, Red Bull brought their junior driver Carlos Sainz along with their F1 car to Kuwait and then had him race up and down the Gulf Road. I managed to get some photos as well as a video from that day which you can check out here.

If you’re an F1 fan then you know that Carlos Sainz is now Ferraris main driver and so you might be kicking yourself for not meeting him back when he came to Kuwait as just a young Red Bull junior racing team driver.

There are only two sports I watch, Formula 1 and UFC. Years ago I wanted to take mixed martial arts classes so I could have a better understanding of the sport but was very limited in options. Since then things have gotten better with more MMA gyms popping up but they’ve mostly focused on either jujitsu or kickboxing. UFC Gym will hopefully be encompassing all forms of MMA under one roof.

Located on the 5th and 6th floor of Assima Mall, the new UFC Gym is around 5,000sqm2 in size. Since there is a hotel connected to the mall the gym is going to be mixed but they do have a separate ladies-only floor for those who prefer not to train in a mixed environment. There is also a separate children’s area on the opposite end of the gym where children can train in mixed martial arts without disturbing or interacting with the adults.

The UFC Gym is targeting to have classes in multiple combat sports including:
– Boxing
– Kickboxing
– Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
– Judo
– Wrestling

UFC Gyms are meant to introduce combat sports to regular people as a means of exercise, so they’re meant to be similar to regular gyms but also provide MMA classes as an added value. The MMA section includes an official-sized octagon ring, a section with boxing bags and a large open mat area for jiujitsu and combat training. The fitness sections of the gym include a cardio machines area that overlooks the city skyline, resistance machines section filled with the latest equipment from Technogym, a free weights section, an area for HIIT classes, and a room for spinning and other activities like yoga and zumba.

The gym is targeting to soft open by the mid of this month with an official opening by the end of summer. They currently have special pre-opening rates which are 900KD a year for men, and 700KD a year for women. This includes full access to the gym and the classes.

For more information, you can contact them on 65107779 or visit @ufcgymkuwait

Kuwait’s obsession with padel reached meme-worthy levels, with courts popping up everywhere – even replacing car lots in the city despite there being a scarcity of parking. But, I noticed most of the courts are usually empty when I drive by them and just yesterday I saw one being taken down.

As someone who doesn’t care about padel, I get the impression the padel craze has died down and so a lot more courts will be closing down. I know one court closing doesn’t represent the padel scene as a whole, but I can’t imagine all these courts being profitable, there are just too many of them. Is padel finally dead?

The last camel races of the season are going to be held this coming Friday and Saturday. The races usually only take place on Saturday but this weekend there will also be races on Friday which should be good news to anyone that couldn’t watch them on Saturdays.

Friday, March 17
There will be 16 races taking place and they will start at 7:30AM

Saturday, March 18
There will only be 5 races taking place and they will start at 2:00PM

There is no entrance fee and you can either watch the races from the sidelines, drive up to the starting lines and watch the start of the race or just drive around the track in your car following the races.

If you want to visit the Kuwait Camel Racing Club, here is the link to Google Maps.

If you’re bored of padel and are looking for a new sport, fencing might be an interesting and unique one to try out. Kuwaiti gold medalist Reem Alshatti coaches under the academy Haus of Fencing three times a week and at a relatively reasonable price of 15KD for a class or 100KD for 12 classes.

All the equipment and uniforms are provided.

If this sounds like something you want to do, then you need to sign up for their two-day beginner’s workshop. The workshops happen a couple of times every month and cost 30KD. They’re fully booked for February, but their waiting list for next month is now open.

Sign up on their website, hausoffencing.com or visit them on Instagram @hausoffencing

The Red Bull Half Court is a 3×3 basketball tournament that takes place in 29 different countries including Kuwait. This year the tournament will be taking place in Kuwait from February 3rd to the 11th and there are still spots for teams available to sign up.

If you and your friends want to compete, it’s free to register. The tournament winners will get an all-expense paid trip to Serbia later this year to compete in the world finals.

To register your team simply go to redbullhalfcourt.com and sign up.

I always imagined it would be crazy expensive to play golf at the Sahara Kuwait Golf Club but turns out that’s not the case. Earlier this week I got in touch with the golf coach there and after a bit of back and forth I managed to figure out the cheapest way to have fun at the golf club.

If like me you just want to go alone or with friends and hit balls at the driving range, then you can do that for just 13KD. The cost to use the driving range for a non-member is 10KD for 2 hours and that includes 150 balls. If you don’t have a golf club which I’m assuming you don’t then you can rent a 7-iron for 3KD. If you want more balls, its 3KD for an additional 150.

Another great option is booking a 30-minute lesson with a professional PGA coach. The lesson costs 35KD and once you’re done with it you then get 2 hours of practice at the driving range with 150 balls to hit. The golf club is included at this price.

I went yesterday to the driving range to try it out and it’s definitely a very fun thing to do. I went just before sunset and the place was very chill. The range can hold 11 people but there was just one person when I was there. 150 balls lasted me nearly an hour of basically non-stop swinging.

If you want to play at the driving range you can either go as a walk-in or book ahead by calling them up on 22203411 or 22203410. There is a basic dress code, for guys, it’s like no jeans or shorts, no flip flops, and wear a top with a collar. When you call them they’ll fill you in. When you get to the Sahara Club, head downstairs to the golf shop, that’s where you pay and go in from.

At 13KD, this could be one of the most affordable and fun outdoor activities in Kuwait.

Photo on top from @itsgee98