By Abdellatif Sharaa
KUWAIT: Under the patronage and presence of Honorary President of Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC) and Kuwait Shooting Federation (KSF) Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, Kuwait Shooting Federation held an honoring ceremony for shooters who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, during which shooter Abdullah Al-Rashidi added a new achievement for Kuwait shooting by winning the skeet bronze medal.
Sheikh Salman said the achievements made in Tokyo gives shooters the night to be honored after raising Kuwait's flag high at such a major event, especially during the pandemic it came with the presence of Coronavirus, yet Kuwait shooters were up to the responsibility they had on their shoulders.
Sheikh Salman thanked the political leadership as well as Information Minister and State Minister for Youth Affairs Abdelrahman Al-Mutairi, Director General of Public Authority for Sport Humoud Fulaiteh and other officials for their support. He also thanked the President of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federation Duaij Al-Otaibi as well as the technical and administrative departments for their efforts that resulted in many achievements regionally and internationally, in addition to the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Al-Otaibi thanked the political leadership and PAS for their continued support, which reflected positively on all achievements and ensured the success of the entire organization. Otaibi appreciated the initiative of Sheikh Salman, who took the sport of shooting from a hobby to competing with well-established organizations around the world and bagging achievements at all levels.
He said Sheikh Salman resigned from his post at KSF in 2013 after becoming a minister, but remained close to shooting and supported the sport. Otaibi said the ambition for achievements will continue, adding that shooters who participated at the Tokyo Olympics succeeded in their mission and had very high scores.
The results proved they are among the elite, despite the difficulties that preceded preparations for the event and the death of the team coaches Peter Malik and Daniel Sioni. Otaibi concluded that Kuwaiti shooting is able to face challenges, and Kuwait shooters will be able to make more achievements, most importantly at the 2024 Paris Olympics.