Around 7 or 8 years ago I learned how to kiteboard and I’m pretty sure I posted about it but can’t seem to find my old post. In any case, the person I learned with left Kuwait ages ago and so I wanted to post about another place you could learn to kiteboard. Q8 Kite Boarding is a local website that sells kiteboarding gear while also offering lessons. They carry a bunch of brands including Cabrinha, Core, Crazyfly, and Reedin.
Full Program Zero 2 Hero
12 lessons
Lesson duration is 60-75 minutes
Cost: KD280 (KD480 if you don’t have the gear)
Individual lessons are KD25 (45KD if you don’t have the gear)
Since the weather has cooled down, it’s probably a great time to learn to kiteboard. Kiteboarding is also an individual sport so social distancing should be fairly easy. For contact information, visit their website Q8kiteboarding.com
Update: Their Instagram account is @Q8Kiteboarding. Also found out that they were previously called DMBoarding which is the company I learned with. They just renamed now to Q8 Kite Boarding.
The 2020 Formula 1 season finally kicked off last week after being delayed due to the Corona pandemic. The second race of the season is taking place later today but like last year, you’re pretty limited to how you can watch it here in Kuwait. The only network in our region that broadcasts the races is MBC Action but it’s in Arabic and I couldn’t find a way to stream it online. The other (and better) option is watching it directly on F1 TV.
I’ve posted about F1 TV before but I mentioned you needed a U.S. credit card to sign up since live broadcasts aren’t available for Kuwait. But, my U.S. credit card expired and I still haven’t gotten my replacement card so I was worried I wouldn’t be able to subscribe again this season. Turns out you don’t need a U.S. credit card!
If you’re on an Apple device and have a US Apple Store account, then you can subscribe to F1 TV from inside the app and pay for the subscription using your Apple Store account. It’s a neat loophole that should make Formula 1 broadcasts easily accessible to more people.
Along with hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial wipes, one of the hardest things to find right now is gym equipment. Everyone is stuck at home and looking for ways to stay fit so most sports shops are sold out on items like dumbells and yoga mats. But, even larger more expensive gym equipment is impossible to come by nowadays. When the lockdown happened I started considering different options to staying fit, I even considered the possibility of shipping a Peloton bike all the way from the States but in the end, I decided to get a rower since they burn the most amount of calories compared to other gym equipment.
Before the whole Corona thing hit my gym had gotten new equipment and so wanted to sell a few of their beautiful looking WaterRowers (similar to the one on House of Cards) to make more room. Nobody was interested in them and they were just sitting there gathering dust. When the lockdown happened I got in touch with my gym thinking I was clever to have remembered the rowers, to my surprise I was too late. Other gym members had got in touch first and they ended up selling all of them. I then decided I wanted to get a Concept2 rower since they’re considered to be the best rowers you can get (you’ve probably used one at your gym). They’re pretty expensive costing anywhere between KD400-470 in the local market but I figured it would be a good long term investment since they last a lifetime. But, I couldn’t find any for sale. All the local suppliers had not only completely sold out their Concept2 inventory, but some had even sold all the rowers they had coming on their way still to Kuwait. To add to the issue, Concept2 shut down their factory in the States because of the pandemic so they’re not producing any more rowers for the time being making it even hard to find anywhere in the world. They even had to post the notice below on top of their website because of the number of inquiries they were getting:
4/3/20: We are currently out of stock of all Model Ds, all Model Es, the Dynamic RowErg, BikeErgs, SkiErgs and the SkiErg Floor Stand due to high demand and temporary production stoppage to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus. US and Canadian customers can fill out the wait list form so we can keep you informed as we get more information in this rapidly changing situation. If you need to speak to us, please contact us during regular business hours (M–F, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. EDT) or email [email protected]. We are doing our best to respond to after-hours inquiries within 1–2 business days. Thank you for your patience.
Luckily through a friend, I ended up finding a gym that had one lying around not being used that they wanted to get rid of. I ended up getting it and it’s now sitting right next to my TV so I can Netflix and row.
One cool thing I’ve noticed recently is some gyms now are renting out their equipment since they’re not being used. One of those gyms is Gym37, they posted on their story yesterday they had equipment for rent which is pretty smart. This is a good alternative to buying and in some cases could be your only option. You can contact them on 90911733 to enquire. Another gym that’s also renting equipment is The Burrow. They are renting out spinning bikes and rowers and their prices are as follows:
Green Rubber Recycling is a local initiative where they recycle used tires to create a variety of rubber tiles including fitness ones. I found out about it by mistake while helping someone who was looking for workout mats and thought it was a very smart idea. Loads of people are working out from home at the moment so the GreenRub fitness tiles are a good way of converting a home space into a mini gym.
If you have neighbors under you it’s a good way of silencing your workouts but even if you don’t have neighbors under you, having a rubber surface provides cushioning to your joints during workouts and you also won’t worry as much about dropping your weights on the floor.
Their fitness tiles start at KD6 for a square meter and you can get more information on their online shop or by visiting their Instagram @greenrubq8
Rafael Nadal the currently ranked world no. 2 in men’s tennis is in Kuwait right now for his exhibition match against David Ferrer, the three-time Davis Cup champion. The match is taking place today at the brand new tennis complex that’s part of 360 Mall and where the Rafa Nadal Academy will be located.
Tickets were being sold for KD75 back in December and I regret not buying one since they’re all sold out now and very hard to come by. Both 360 Mall and the Rafa Nadal Academy have been posting lots of stories of his visit, so if you want to see what’s going on then check out both their accounts @mall360 and @rafanadalacademykuwait
There is a new and large ice skating rink that opened up in Bayan a few days ago called Kuwait Winter Games Club Ice Rink. It popped out of nowhere with very little to no information and what’s even more impressive is the fact that the Kuwait 2020 Open Championship for Professional Arab Ice Hockey Clubs is taking place there right now.
All the information I’ve been able to find is in Arabic and there really isn’t that much information anyway but I was able to find out that the rink is an IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) approved size and that all future IIHF tournaments will be held there instead of the Ice Skating Rink in the city. My guess this new rink was created because they had announced that they were going to demolish the old rink (they’re not going to anymore).
Why are these things basically kept a secret in Kuwait I don’t know. I couldn’t even find a half-decent shot of the rink and had to get the one on top from the Jeddah Ice Sports Club while the video above from the Kuwait Ice Hockey Girls Team.
If you want to check out some more pictures of the rink or see the schedule for the hockey championship that’s taking place right now then check out the Kuwait Winter Games instagram account @kuwait_wgc. I’m going to try and pass by tonight to check it out as well. Here is the location of the rink on Google Maps.
Update: I dropped by today to watch the UAE team match against Bahrain. The ice skating rink looks like it still needs work, kinda felt like a pop-up ice skating rink. I guess the rink still needs work but they had to open as is right now because of the championship and then complete the work once the tournament is done. The rink isn’t centered under the roof properly which was super annoying when trying to capture a nice centered photo plus the scoreboard didn’t seem to be working either so I didn’t even know what the final score was.
Even with those issues it was actually really fun watching the game and I’ll probably be going back to watch some more. There isn’t an entrance fee or anything of the sort, you just walk in and sit wherever you want to watch the game. I think there was more closed off VIP seating than there was regular seating but really the best seat in the house is standing ringside anyway.
The Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Causeway Bridge is going to be closed for cars and open for cyclists every Friday from 7AM to 10AM. I heard the Kuwait Olympic Committee pushed for this decision after a cyclist got hit by a car on the bridge and passed away. From some of the comments I read on instagram, car guys obviously aren’t too happy with this decision since Friday morning is when a lot of car groups and bike groups gather for drives and the bridge was a popular destination (no idea why since it’s a really boring drive). I have noticed cyclists have been getting a lot of support lately, Kuwait Motor Town, for example, is also open to cyclists every Saturday from 7AM to 9AM and every Tuesday from 4PM to 8PM.
Personally I think the fact that they need to close off a whole bridge so that cyclists have a safe place to ride their bicycles shows how dangerous roads are in Kuwait. I think they should have taken cyclists and pedestrians into consideration when designing the bridge in the first place and created a separate closed off lane for them. But then again, that’s probably asking too much when sidewalks and pedestrian safety aren’t even an important thing here.
The 2020 Asian Men’s Handball Championship is taking place in Kuwait right now at the newly opened Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sport Hall Complex. If it wasn’t for an email from one of my readers I wouldn’t have known this stadium existed or that the handball championship was taking place in Kuwait.
You’d think with an event this big there would at least be outdoor ads, sponsored Instagram posts or anything really. In the video above the stadium is basically empty.
I haven’t had the chance to pass by and check it out but I’ve been told tickets are free and it’s first come first serve.
Early this year Kuwait Motor Town (KMT) opened up and started offering track day experiences where drivers can sign up to race their cars around the circuit for fun. It’s a great way to drive your car to its limit while in a safe environment. But if you’ve never taken part in a track day before, it can be a bit intimidating which is why I thought I’d put together a guide. I was lucky enough to have friends who’ve been taking part in track days for years (mostly in Bahrain) so my first time was easier than most. I’ve divided this post up into different sections which I felt were important to highlight:
Registration
KMT usually hosts around 3 to 4 open track car experiences every month during the winter season. They also hold motocross, drag, drift and ATV track experiences as well but I’ll only be talking about the car track days in this post. There are usually around 70-80 car slots available every track day and they fill up really fast as in the same day registration opens up. For example, this past Sunday night KMT opened up registration for January track days and they’re sold out already, two of the days sold out on the same night. The track day fee is KD75 and when new days are available, KMT publishes them on their Instagram account. They sell out so fast its become a habit for me and my friends to book all the days first and then think about it. So the best way to find out when new track days are open is by following @kmtkw on instagram.
Your Car
There are no limitations to what kind of car you can bring to a track day experience as long as its not a single-seater, open-wheel car, or SUV. But, if your car isn’t a sports car I can’t imagine it being any fun anyway. The reality is that everyone on the track is trying to go as fast as possible and if you show up in a 4-door Corolla you’re going to feel very uncomfortable and pressured on the track.
The majority of the cars at the track are usually Porsches. They’re generally great because they can be driven as daily cars while also performing really well on the track. I’ve got a Lotus which I think is great on the track but more importantly, because of its weight doesn’t go through tires and brake pads like there is no tomorrow. It makes tracking a lot more affordable. Because my car was meant to be tracked, I can also stay out a full session on the track without my brakes fading or my car overheating. American cars, on the other hand, don’t tend to do so well on the track, they’re generally fast on straights but don’t handle turns so well and they don’t last very long on the track without having to pit.
KMT is located off of highway 40. I tend to drive my car to the track and back without any issues but I know some guys who prefer to send their car to the track on trailer beds because they aren’t comfortable with the road conditions.
Once you get your car to the track it will have to go through scrutineering. They’ll make sure your car is safe to go on the track and once it passes their checks, they’ll give your a car a track pass. Make sure you don’t have any junk in your car. You’re going to have to empty all the loose items from your car and trunk or else it’s going to be flying around everywhere. You also need to have a tow hook installed to the front and they’ve recently started checking the condition of the tires including the age to make sure they’re in good shape.
Things to Bring with You to the Track
A helmet really is the only thing you need to bring and if you don’t have one, you can rent one at the track. I think the cost for rental is 20 or 25KD but you also need to leave a deposit of around KD75. For food and drinks there is a Starbucks and a Costa at the track as well as a burger place and a dessert place. You can bring your own food and water if you want as well. Some extra things I bring include lip balm, gum, my GoPro and some basic tools (ie. ducktape).
Once You Arrive
When you get to the track you’ll take your car to the scrutineering area first and park your car there. You then enter the building to right of that area and get your registration sticker and wristband. You would have to have already registered and purchased an entry to the track day online beforehand. Registration on the day of the event just involves you signing a waiver and collecting your passes. Once you get your pass you then go back to your car and wait for the scrutineering crew to check your car. After that is done you will be allowed to enter the pit lane.
Drivers are split into two groups, A and B. There isn’t a specific formula from my understanding, it’s not like one group is faster or has more experienced drivers, drivers are just split up randomly. Once you enter the pit lane you can park in any of the empty garages corresponding to your group letter. Once you park your car you can then set up your base for the day. You can empty your car contents and leave your stuff in that garage while you’re out on the track.
Briefing Session and Lead and Follow Laps
Before the track opens up a briefing session is held which is mandatory for every driver to attend. During the briefing session, they will discuss the track rules, explain what all the different colored flags on the side of the track mean and share tips and pointers. This is a good time to ask any questions as well.
After the briefing session, there will be lead and follow laps on the track. This is for drivers to familiarize themselves with the circuit by following a lead car around the track. Nobody is really speeding or racing here, it’s just a fast-paced drive around the track while following the cars in front of you.
On the Track
After the lead and follow sessions are done, the different groups are let out onto the track in 30 minute intervals. So for example, 4PM to 4:30PM is for Group A cars, then 4:30PM to 5PM is Group B, then it’s Group A again, then Group B etc. Although it doesn’t sound like much, 30 minutes is more than enough track time and a lot of the cars can’t really even stay out that long without coming into the pits to cool down.
Out on the track, it can be intimidating with everyone driving as if they’re racing for the championship but as long as you give way to faster moving cars you’ll be fine. Generally, you’re not meant to overtake on turns only on straights so if you see a car behind you that’s faster than you, move out of the way and let them pass.
The more you track the better you will get. One way of improving your driving is by having a more experienced driver sit next to you. In my case, I have friends who are really good drivers and every now and then I’ll have them hop in the car with me and give me tips like in the video above where I was able to shave off around 2 seconds from my fastest lap just by having my friend give me pointers. After that session I understood my weaknesses better and the following track day I improved on my driving even more and managed to break the 2 minute barrier (video below). If you don’t have a friend who can give you tips thats also not an issue. Lotus are sponsoring all the track days this season and they usually have two cars available to drive on the track with a professional driver.
Fuel
Depending on your car you might need to refuel often. There is a small fuel station at the end of the pitlane with Ultra 98 fuel. They only take cash, no Knet. Some guys bring their own fuel to the track that is also ok.
Off the Track
You don’t need to go out on the track every session, you don’t need to start at the beginning of the session either, once it’s your group’s turn you can go out onto the track at any time. It’s a very chill atmosphere, even in the pit garages, everyone is just hanging out. Me and my friends bring our own chairs to sit on while waiting for our next session and I’ve seen guys set up a cozy diwaniya as well. Not everyone there is in groups, you have a lot of guys who come alone so its easy to socialize. There aren’t that many female drivers, there is one whos there at every track day but the other girls I’ve seen at the track are there with their husbands or boyfriends and either chill in the pits or go out onto the track as a passenger.
Any Questions?
So that’s basically it really. I can’t think of anything else to add to the above but in case you have any questions just let me know in the comments below.
Rafael Nadal, the current world no. 1 in men’s singles tennis will be playing a match this coming February here in Kuwait at the soon to open International Tennis Complex next to 360 Mall. They haven’t announced who he would be playing against except for the fact it will be another tennis champion. Tickets for the match were being sold this past weekend for KD75 at the Rafa Nadal Academy exhibit inside 360 Mall, but the first batch of tickets have already been sold out. I’ve been told that they might release a second batch of tickets at a later date.
Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, the second-most in history for a male player, as well as a record 35 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles, 20 ATP Tour 500 titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. The Rafa Nadal Academy that will be opening in Kuwait will be the second one to open in the world.
The tennis complex that is currently nearing the end of construction will have a combined stadium seating for over 6,500 people across two main arenas, each with the capacity to hold 5,000 and 1,500 people respectively. There will also be eight indoor courts with over 500 seats, and eight outdoor courts with 1,500 seats. The tennis complex is expected to open early next year.
To learn more about the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait you can visit their large exhibit (with a tennis court) inside 360 Mall. The exhibit is there till December 7th and you can even play a fun tennis match with one of their coaches inside their exhibit. The timings for the exhibit are:
Wednesday: 4:00pm – 8:00pm
Thursday to Saturday: 12:00pm – 10:00pm
UFC 242 is taking place this coming Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Because the fights are taking place right next door, the event timings work really well for us with the first fight starting at 9PM on Saturday.
If you want to watch the fights live then the easiest way to do so is by downloading the UFC Arabia app from the Kuwait Apple Store (I’m guessing its the same for Android devices). For $4.99 a month the UFC Arabia app allows you to stream live Pay Per View (PPV) events at no additional cost, in addition to the weigh-ins, post-fight press conferences, and various other videos.
I just signed up to it to try it out based on a recommendation from a friend who already tried it out. The commentary is in English as well not in Arabic. If you can’t find the app in the Apple Store it’s most likely because you’re not in the Kuwait store so make sure you have an Apple account registered with a Kuwait address. Alternatively, you could just go to the UFC Arabia website and sign up there. Link
The Kuwait Harps are starting a new season of Gaelic Football and are looking for new faces to join the club. Gaelic Football is a form of football derived from the Irish ball games. There are some major differences between regular football and Gaelic football like the fact Gaelic football is played with 15 players per team and you can also hold the ball with your hands.
The Kuwait Harps compete primarily in tournaments based in the Gulf region and new players are always welcome and immediately feel at home within the club. The majority of the current squad were actually new to Gaelic Games when they first arrived in Kuwait. While many clubs in the Gulf region can depend on a strong pool of Irish players, this is not the case in Kuwait. While a core of the club may be Irish, it relies heavily on the support of players from the international expat community. Kuwait Harps Players have come from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Canada, USA, Australia and even Sudan to name but a few countries.
If you’re interested in joining the club, they’re holding a taster day. Taster days are just for people to come along and see if they like the sport and want to join. It’s aimed at all abilities (both fitness and Gaelic wise) so anyone can come along and there is no need to sign up. All you need to do is come out in your normal workout gear and bring some sunscreen, water and maybe a hat or sunglasses.
When: Tuesday, September 3rd from 6PM to 8PM Where: AIS (Google Maps)
One of the oldest sports clubs in Kuwait is looking to recruit men and women for their rugby team. If you’re interested keep reading below for a small brief on who they are along with information on how to contact them.
Kuwait Scorpions are always looking to recruit new players for both the male and female teams. Any level of experience is welcome and pre-season training has started already and will continue every Monday and Wednesday from 7PM.
A brief overview of the Kuwait Scorpions Rugby Football Club (KSRFC)
• The Kuwait Scorpions are the oldest rugby club in the Middle East. Established in 1946 when Kuwait Oil Company and the British Army played the first ever recorded fixture in the region.
• The Kuwait Scorpions are a registered member of Gulf Rugby (formerly Arabian Gulf RFC) which is in turn affiliated with the IRB (International Rugby Board).
• The club consists of players from all around the world; including the United Kingdom, Republic of Fiji, USA, Canada, Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa, as well as an increasing number of Kuwaiti players.
• The Kuwait Scorpions is not gender biased and has two main branches, the Men’s Senior Team and the Ladies Senior Team. In addition to the two main branches, they have a Men’s Veteran Team that forms for special events.
Interested in becoming a Scorpion?
If you are, then just fill out this form.
According to a recent article on Tennis World, the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy will be opening up in Kuwait at the new tennis complex that’s part of the 360 Mall expansion. It had been previously announced that Serena Williams coach would be opening up a tennis academy in Kuwait, but either that plan fell through, or we’re now getting two world-renowned academies opening up.
The tennis complex once open will have a combined stadium seating for over 7,600 people across two main arenas, each with the capacity to hold 4,000 and 1,600 people respectively. There will also be eight indoor courts with over 500 seats, and eight outdoor courts with 1,500 seats. It’s expected to open January of next year.
I recently found out from a reader about a small store in Al-Rai called Sahm Sports that specializes in archery supplies. The store opened up earlier in the month and they sell everything you need to get into archery from bows and arrows to targets and accessories. They even have a small archery room you can book for target practice and lessons (KD7 for 30 minutes).
What I like about their instagram account is that they’re posting videos and stories explaining what the various items and accessories do, so it’s a bit interesting if you want to know more about the sport. The store is located across from Avenues and here it is on Google Maps. Their instagram account is @sahm.sports.kw
