Kuwait Table Tennis Team Reaches Semi-Finals at 2026 Asian Championships in Aichi-Nagoya

Kuwait’s Teqball player Zaid Al-Eidan advanced to the semifinals of the men’s singles event, while teammates Bassel Ahmed and Abdulwahab Al-Qattan reached the semifinals in the men’s doubles, at the 20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026), hosted by Japan until October 4 next year.

Mohammed Al-Khalafan, Director General of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and head of the Kuwaiti delegation, told reporters on Thursday that Al-Eidan played four matches in Group 1 of the preliminary round, securing three wins out of four, which was sufficient to qualify for the main tournament. He added that Al-Eidan defeated players from Myanmar (2-0), Mongolia (2-0), and Kyrgyzstan (2-0), suffering only one loss to Iraq (0-2), before bouncing back to beat Japan’s representative 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

Al-Khalafan noted that the duo of Bassel Ahmed and Abdulwahab Al-Qattan also reached the men’s doubles semifinals after a stellar performance that allowed them to confidently overcome preliminary hurdles, confirming their high level of readiness to compete for podium positions. He stated that Ahmed and Al-Qattan will face Lebanon in the semifinals next Saturday, while the mixed doubles pair of Salman Al-Ibrahim and Hessa Al-Filakawi will begin their campaign on the same day.

Al-Khalafan described the Kuwaiti players’ advancement as a notable achievement in Teqball, a relatively new sport on the Asian scene, and affirmed their technical and physical readiness for the semifinals.

In a related development, Ali Al-Mari, Assistant Secretary-General of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, said in a similar statement that the Kuwait Olympic football team has launched intensive field training in preparation for their crucial upcoming match against Uzbekistan in the Asian Games. Al-Mari emphasized the Committee’s commitment to supporting the players and boosting their confidence to deliver a respectable performance that meets the expectations of Kuwaiti fans. He noted that the training sessions were conducted in an enthusiastic atmosphere with high morale among the “Blue Olympic” squad, focusing on technical and tactical aspects and implementing specific tactical patterns that the coaching staff aims to rely on in the match.

Teqball is a ball sport that combines elements of football and table tennis. Played on a curved table, players exchange the ball using any part of their body except the arms and hands. The sport was officially recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia in August 2018.