KUWAIT: The Board of Directors of the Kuwait E-Sports Club appointed key leadership positions in its first meeting held recently. Abdullah Al-Ali was selected as Chairman, Khalid Al-Hathran as Vice-Chairman, Faisal Abul as Board Secretary, Nada Al-Gharabally as Treasurer, Abdullah Al-Manie as Assistant Board Secretary, Nasser Al-Hassawi as Assistant Treasurer and Abdullah Mandani as a Board member.

During its meeting, the Board approved its official logo and assigned the Chairman to become the official spokesperson of the club. After the meeting, Ali wished for the speedy recovery of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, praying to Allah Almighty to return him to Kuwait in good health and wellness.

Ali expressed his pride in being the first chairman and spokesperson of the Kuwait E-Sports Club, which is the first of its kind in Kuwait. It was established as a specialized club for electronic sports by decision number 12 for 2020 by the Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Sport.

Ali stated that the growing importance of electronic media, internet applications and social media has impacted the daily lifestyle of various members of society. "As electronic games become a common pastime for many youngsters and kids, many international corporations started exploiting the elements of adventure, challenge, enthusiasm and curiosity in these games to promote values and ideas that are foreign to and contradict with the culture, customs and traditions of the Kuwaiti society. This was done either for financial gains or to impose alien values on our society," he said.

The club will focus on creating the right environment to allow its members to utilize their spare time in practicing e-sports as well as social, cultural and recreational activities. This is obviously one if its main objectives and a driver for its establishment. Besides that, another fundamental principles for establishing the club is community service. The Kuwait E-Sports Club aims to become a safe and effective gateway for protecting society against the hazards of online gaming. This should give more confidence and comfort to parents when their kids and family members use online gaming applications through the club.

The Kuwait E-Sports Club aims to become a platform for others to benchmark against in terms of organizing and coordinating various e-sports activities such as tournaments, competitions, training programs, and camps both in Kuwait and beyond.

The club's spokesperson emphasized that all of this is in line with the general policy of the state and its plan to focus on youth and sports. This is also in accordance with the club's articles of association and the rules and regulations that govern its activities as it is considered a sports association for electronic sports. Ali further noted that many neighboring Arab and regional countries have already established specialized entities for electronic sports. This might be due to the false belief that electronic games are for entertainment purposes only.

E-sports are now considered physical, mental and psychological activities and there is a growing global trend to formally recognize them as a form of sports. Thus, the Public Authority for Sport has taken a timely step to establish, for the first time ever, the Kuwait E-Sports Club as a specializing sports club that is considered a national sports association.

The Chairman thanked and acknowledge the honorable work of the Public Authority for Sport and namely its Director General and his deputy for their knowledge and understanding of the importance of establishing a specialized club for electronic sports. They were both instrumental in securing a decision by the Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Sport, headed by Minister for Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Jabri to authorize the establishment of the Kuwait E-Sports Club and publishing its articles of association in the official gazette.

He also stated that the honor of representing Kuwait in the various fields and activities of electronic sports locally and internationally is a heavy responsibility that propels the club to seek achievements that are deserved by the State of Kuwait and its citizens. The club announced that it receives inquiries on [email protected].