"Tennis"... A Century-Long Story Between Kuwait and Britain

The friendly match recently organized by the British Embassy in Kuwait at the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait courts, coinciding with the Wimbledon Championships, was not merely a fleeting sporting event. It brought to mind a forgotten chapter in the history of Kuwait-British relations, when tennis courts witnessed meetings between Kuwait’s ruling family and British representatives nearly a century ago.

Isa Dashti, a researcher in Kuwait-British relations and recipient of the British Empire Medal (BEM), believes that the scene of British Ambassador to Kuwait Qadasi Rashid playing tennis reflects a continuation of a sporting and historical relationship dating back to the early 1930s, when the sport was played in Kuwait before it became widely popular.

In an interview with Al-Rai, Dashti emphasized that the match revived memories of the first tennis matches held in Kuwait, which took place on a private court established by Kuwait’s tenth ruler, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He stressed that tennis is not a recent addition to Kuwait’s sporting landscape, but rather has a history spanning nearly a century.

Dashti relies on Violet Dickson’s book, “Forty Years in Kuwait,” which details Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s interest in the sport. He noted that Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber did not merely encourage the game; he built a private tennis court within one of his compounds near his palace in Kuwait City. He also purchased tennis rackets and wore attire specific to the sport, a move reflecting his interest in modern sports at the time.

This court became a weekly gathering place for the British Resident’s family and staff, and it also hosted officers of the British Royal Navy during their ships’ repeated visits to Kuwait.

According to Violet Dickson’s book, Colonel Harold Dickson believed that daily exercise was essential for maintaining mental and physical health. He made it a point to walk, ride horses, and play tennis regularly.

In late 1930, Dickson requested that Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber allocate a site for a new tennis court. The Sheikh immediately welcomed the idea, suggesting it be built within his private compound, and personally requested technical guidance for its construction.

Since its opening, the court became a weekly destination for the Dickson family and their guests, while Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber, his family members, and friends would watch matches from nearby seats or engage in the game of “Karam” in a distinctive social atmosphere.

Dashti points out that Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber’s court remained in use until the end of 1937, before the Kuwait Oil Company established a new court in the Shuwaikh area in 1938 to serve company employees and visitors, gradually shifting sporting activities there.

He also notes that the building of the new British Resident’s office in the Dasman area, which later became the British Embassy, saw the creation of another tennis court in the early 1950s. This court remains within the embassy premises to this day, although its location within the compound has changed over the years.

Dashti concludes by emphasizing that the match organized by the British Embassy is not just a sporting activity, but an extension of a deep-rooted human, cultural, and sporting relationship that has united Kuwait and Britain since the 1930s, when tennis courts witnessed one of the earliest forms of social and sporting interaction between the two countries. This story continues to the present day, even as the courts have changed and faces have evolved.