Kuwait national kickball players advance to the semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games
Kuwaiti badminton player Zaid Al-Aidan advanced to the semifinals of the men’s singles event, while players Bassem Ahmad and Abdulwahab Al-Qattan also reached the semifinals in the men’s doubles event, at the 20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026), which Japan is hosting until October 4 next.
In a press statement on Thursday, Lieutenant General (Retired) Mohammed Al-Khalafan, Director General of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and head of the Kuwaiti delegation, said that Al-Aidan played four matches in Group A during the qualification round, securing three wins out of four, which was enough to qualify for the final stage of the competition.
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He added that Al-Aidan defeated the Myanmar player 2-0, the Mongolian player 2-0, and the Kyrgyz player 2-0, while losing one match to the Iraqi player 0-2. He then regained the upper hand in the quarterfinals, defeating the Japanese player 2-0.
Al-Khalafan explained that the duo of Bassem Ahmad and Abdulwahab Al-Qattan also advanced to the semifinals in the men’s doubles event, following a brilliant performance that allowed them to confidently overcome the qualification hurdles, confirming their high readiness to compete for a place on the podium.
He noted that Ahmad and Al-Qattan are scheduled to face the Lebanese team in the semifinals next Saturday, while the duo of Salman Al-Ibrahim and Hessa Al-Faylakaawi will begin their journey in the mixed doubles event on the same day.
Al-Khalafan stated that this advancement by Kuwaiti players is a notable achievement in the sport of badminton, which is considered one of the newer sports on the Asian stage, and affirmed their technical and physical readiness for the semifinal match.
In a related context, Captain Ali Al-Mari, Deputy Secretary-General of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, said in a similar statement that the Kuwait Olympic football team has begun its intensive on-field training in preparation for its crucial and highly anticipated match against the Uzbekistan team in the Asian Games.
Al-Mari emphasized the Committee’s commitment to supporting the players and their strong confidence in their abilities to deliver a dignified performance that meets the expectations of the Kuwaiti fans. He pointed out that the training sessions were held in an enthusiastic atmosphere with extremely high morale among the players of the “Olympic Blue” team, with the drills focusing on technical and tactical aspects and implementing certain tactical sequences that the coaching staff aims to rely on in the match.
It is worth noting that badminton is a ball sport that combines elements of football and table tennis. It is played on a curved table, where players exchange the ball using any part of the body except the arms and hands. The sport was officially recognized by the Asian Olympic Committee in August 2018.
