By Abdellatif Sharaa
KUWAIT: Wednesday marks the end of HH the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Annual Shooting Grand Prix in which 40 countries participated, while the Asian Shotgun Championship 2023 was held alongside it. The final day of the competitions will see the mixed trap event as well as juniors singles. Kuwait shooters had a firm grip on top places as the trap team of Nasser Al-Miqled, Talal Al-Rashidi and Khalid Al-Mudhaf won gold, followed by Lebanon and Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, President of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations and Secretary General of the Asian Shooting Confederation Duaij Al-Otaibi said he is happy with HH the Amir Grand Prix reaching its last day with great success, as expressed by the international shooting community. "We were keen on organizing important activities such as specialized courses for referees and those in the technical department to improve their abilities for this and future tournaments."
"There were also important meetings on the sidelines of HH the Amir Grand Prix, such as the meeting of the Asian Confederation board and the Arab Federation in the presence of ISSF president and secretary general," Otaibi said. He said HH the Amir tournament is highly important as it has important elements and particular events for shooting, besides the participation of many shooters representing many countries.
Otaibi said achievements of Kuwait Shooting Federation and the success of HH the Amir Grand Prix could not take place without the major support of HH the Amir, HH the Crown Prince and HH the Prime Minister, which removed all obstacles and provided a good environment to achieve successes for Kuwait. He said the board of directors prepared a comprehensive plan for local tournaments, besides plans to prepare shooters for foreign events, including training camps before official tournaments so Kuwaiti shooters will be highly ready for the tournaments that qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Otaibi said Kuwait will participate in the Azerbaijan tournament, followed by South Korea, then a tournament in Kuwait, as all those tournaments are qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He wished Kuwait shooters success in these tournament and "to win first place as we are accustomed to, go to the Olympics and compete for more medals".