Sheikh Khaled Al-Badr: Asian aquatics poised for growth ahead of India Championship
KUWAIT CITY, May 10: The Executive Office of the Asian Aquatics Confederation (AAC) has officially approved India as the host of the upcoming Asian Aquatics Championships for National Teams, scheduled to take place in October. The event will feature competitions in four aquatic disciplines: water polo, swimming, diving, and synchronised swimming, with participation from all AAC member nations.
Following the Executive Office meeting held in Kuwait, AAC President Sheikh Khaled Al-Badr Al-Sabah announced the decision, highlighting the significance of the championships as a major gathering for the continent's top aquatic athletes. He emphasised that the event will provide a platform to showcase the growing talent across Asia in various aquatic sports.
Sheikh Khaled underscored the AAC's commitment to organising its championships on a regular basis, noting that these events not only promote athletic excellence but also strengthen the bonds of friendship, solidarity, and unity among Asian nations.
He added, 'Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the AAC and its member countries, Asia has emerged as a powerful force in aquatic sports at the World Championships and the Olympic Games, particularly in swimming and diving.' He reiterated the AAC's dedication to further developing aquatic disciplines throughout the continent.
During the meeting, the Executive Office also approved the confederation's financial and administrative report for the past fiscal year. Sheikh Khaled expressed his gratitude to the committee members for their continued dedication to the advancement of Asian aquatics.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
17 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Japan, South Korea celebrate World Cup qualification with big wins
South Korea cruised to a 4-0 win over Kuwait OSAKA: Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice for Japan and Paris Saint Germain's Lee Kang-in netted for South Korea as the Asian giants rounded off successful World Cup qualifying campaigns in style on Tuesday. Japan romped to a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Osaka, while South Korea cruised to a 4-0 win over Kuwait in Seoul where fans were treated to a late appearance by their idol Son Heung-min. FA Cup winner Kamada struck twice in the first half for already qualified Japan, who finished as Group C winners. Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya were also on target against Indonesia, who came fourth in the group and moved on to a further qualifying round. Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu has set the ambitious target of winning next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. His side will play friendlies against teams from outside Asia over the next 12 months and Kamada is looking to learn from the experience. 'Playing against Asian teams and against the kind of European teams who will be at the World Cup is totally different,' said the 28-year-old. 'As we play these games, we will start to see a lot of areas where we need to improve. We need to come together as a team and overcome these problems when they crop up.' Moriyasu said his players need to keep improving 'in all departments' and praised their attitude against Indonesia. 'The challenge for the players is to break past their limits and grow,' he said. China consolation Wang Yudong's 90th-minute penalty enabled already eliminated China to avoid finishing bottom of Group C with a consolation 1-0 win over Bahrain in Chongqing. Second-placed Australia will face third-placed Saudi Arabia later in Group C in Jeddah to decide the final Asian qualifier from this round. Iran and Uzbekistan are already through to next year's finals from Group A and Jordan will finish second in Group B to South Korea, who secured qualification last week with a game to spare. Jeon Jin-woo, who plays in the K-League for Jeonbuk, gave South Korea a 1-0 half-time lead against Kuwait in Seoul. The Koreans took control after the break with strikes from European-based trio Lee Kang-in of PSG, Oh Hyeon-gyu of Belgium's Genk and Lee Jae-sung of German Club Mainz 05. Tottenham's Son Heung-min, who has been struggling with injury, came on as a 75th-minute substitute to an ovation from the home fans but could not add to the 4-0 margin. Third and fourth-placed teams in each of the three groups go into a fourth round of Asian qualifying with two more places up for grabs. –AFP
Arab Times
20 hours ago
- Arab Times
Kuwait ends World Cup qualifying campaign with a loss
SEUOL, June 10: Kuwait returned from Seoul after suffering a 4-0 defeat against South Korea at the World Cup Stadium in the South Korean capital. The match was the tenth and final round of Group B in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. South Korea finished top of the group with 22 points, while our team remained in sixth and last place with five points. Throughout the qualifiers, the national team played 10 matches, drawing five and losing five. Argentina's coach, Juan Pizzi, started the game with a lineup including Suleiman Abdul Ghafoor, Mishari Ghannam, Mohammed Al-Nassar, Fahad Al-Hajri, Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Jassim Al-Matar, Talal Al-Qaisi, Ahmed Al-Zanki, and Youssef Majed. From the opening minutes, the South Korean team dominated possession and controlled the game, thanks to strong organization and skillful midfield play, launching multiple attacks on Abdul Ghafoor's goal. Kuwait, however, retreated too much into midfield despite the match being a formality—South Korea had already secured the top spot and World Cup qualification, while our team was out of the running for direct qualification and the Asian playoffs. The Koreans varied their attacks well, utilizing both central and wide areas, repeatedly threatening Suleiman's goal. Suleiman's alert goalkeeping kept the scoreline respectable in the early stages. In the 18th minute, Jo Bae nearly scored with a powerful shot from outside the box, which Suleiman deflected for a corner. Korea broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when Jo Won-gyeon scored from a corner, the ball deflecting off Fahad Al-Hajri before crossing the line. Our team's best chance in the first half came in the 38th minute when Ahmed Al-Zanki surged into the penalty area but mishandled a pass intended for Talal Al-Qaisi. The second half saw continued Korean dominance, with two quick goals: Kang Lee scored in the 51st minute, followed by Oh Se-hyun in the 54th minute. O also nearly added a fourth goal two minutes later when his shot hit the post after Abdul Ghafoor's save. To change the game, coach Pizzi made three substitutions, bringing on Fawaz Ayed, Moaz Al-Asima, and Hussein Ashkanani for Reda Hani, Jassim Al-Matar, and Yousef Majed, but the team's performance did not improve. Kuwait earned a corner in the 69th minute, but Fahad Al-Hajri mishandled the delivery, missing the opportunity. Substitute Jeon Lee sealed the victory for South Korea with a fourth goal from inside the penalty area in the 72nd minute.
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
Saudi Arabia's World Cup hopes hinge on a near-impossible task against Australia
MELBOURNE, June 9, (AP): A Saudi squad that has scored six goals through nine qualifying games needs to beat Australia by a five-goal margin to earn a direct spot at the 2026 World Cup. Head coach Hervé Renard knows it's an extremely unlikely outcome for his Saudi team, but he's urging his players to go all in Tuesday in the last game of the third round of Asian qualifying for next year's global tournament. "The door is closed, but we have to try to qualify even if it is through the window,' Renard said after his team's 2-0 win over Bahrain last week kept Saudi Arabia in contention. "Everything must go very well for us if we are to qualify; we have to score goals.' Anything less than a five-goal deficit means Australia, in second spot in Group C, qualifies for a seventh World Cup. The last time the Socceroos lost by such a margin was in successive 6-0 defeats against Brazil and France in 2013. The Australians have scored 14 goals and conceded six through nine qualifiers. After successive World Cup qualifications through the playoffs, Australia is close to securing a direct route, but coach Tony Popovic is taking nothing for granted. "We need to do a job in Saudi Arabia,' Popovic said. "We're in a great position, but we need to finish it off.' Popovic has only been in the job since September, stepping in after Graham Arnold resigned after collecting just one point in the group's first two qualification games. "It's been an intense period since I've come in, but everyone's embraced what we're aiming to do,' he said. "And we're very close now to achieving our goal.' Asia has been allocated eight places at the 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The top two teams in each of the three groups in this round advance directly. The third- and fourth-place teams in each group go into another round, vying for two more places. Japan was the first to qualify and will top Group C regardless of the outcome between Australia and third-place Saudi Arabia. Iran and Uzbekistan have qualified from Group A, and South Korea and Jordan have qualified from Group B. If Saudi Arabia fails to win by five, it will join the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, and Iraq in the next stage of qualifying in October. Oman, meanwhile, is fourth in Group B, a point ahead of the Palestinian team in fifth place, with the two teams meeting in Amman on Tuesday. "We still have everything to play for and we know what we have to do and that is to take all three points and continue our journey,' Palestinian coach Ihab Abujazar said.
