Written by Hazem Salah El-Din
Saturday, May 13, 2023 02:00 PM
The curtain has fallen on the World Freediving Championship competitions, which Kuwait hosted at the Abdullah Al-Dakhil Olympic Complex in Kazma Club during the period from 7 to 13 May, under the auspices of the Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdul Rahman Baddah Al-Mutairi, and the supervision of the Public Authority for Sports and the Kuwait Olympic Committee..
The Kuwaiti champions left their mark on the closing day of the championship, after Hamad Al-Kandari broke the national record in the “Kinetic Free Diving with Single Fins” competition, with a number that reached 200 meters, which is a great achievement for him and Kuwait..
In the same competition for women, Alia Al-Salem also broke the national record with a number of 125.10 meters.
Vladimir Amoroslov won the gold medal in the general category for men, Cuban Lemay Alvarez came in second place, and Greek Aris Ioannidis came in third place..
Saudi Arabia, Amal Al-Shakal, achieved a distinguished achievement by coming in third place and winning the bronze medal in the general women’s competition, and Serbian Natasha Boskovic won the gold medal, and German Weissmann Brigitte won the silver medal..
The tournament achieved the aspired success both physically and organizationally, and the Kuwait Diving and Rescue Federation, headed by Eng. Talal Al-Sarhan, the praise of the President of the International Federation, Anna Arzanova and her accompanying delegation, as well as the delegations participating in the organization and competitions..
The Kuwait Diving and Rescue Federation held a dinner party yesterday evening, Friday, for officials of the International Federation, Arab and foreign federations, and the committees operating in the championship..
The President of the Federation and the Kuwaiti Diving and Rescue Club, Eng. Talal Al-Sarhan, that the World Championship has achieved unparalleled success, whether technically or organizationally, adding that the praise of the participating delegations and officials of the International Federation and the assertion that Kuwait organized the best tournament in the world is a matter of pride, and that the efforts made a year and a half ago to organize it have borne fruit..
And he stressed that the Kuwaiti Federation provided all the capabilities available to it to achieve this success, whether through security and safety, as the competitions passed peacefully without significant injuries, or the referees who managed the competitions with complete integrity, indicating that this success will push us to host more tournaments in the near future, in coordination With the officials of the Public Authority for Sports, as well as the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee, especially since diving comes within the Kuwaiti heritage that everyone is proud of..
Al-Sarhan pointed out that the World Championship witnessed the breaking of many world records, in addition to the Kuwaiti competitors achieving new national records, in addition to the brilliance of the Arab and Gulf teams, as the Kuwaiti and Saudi teams won two medals, expressing his happiness with the bronze medal that Dr. May Al-Badr, who came with great merit and merit, despite the strength and difficulty of the competition in light of the participation of world champions.
Al-Sarhan stressed that the participation of the Kuwait national team came with personal diligence, as the players of our national team, who wrote their names in letters of light, are in need of support, and if it is available, we are confident in achieving more achievements, indicating that the Kuwaiti Diving and Rescue Club does not have a sports facility for its activities. Also, his competitors of both sexes did not benefit from partial professionalism, expressing his hope that the capabilities will be provided by the concerned authorities necessary to continue on the right path..
In her turn, Mai Al-Badr, who won the first bronze medal for Kuwaiti diving in the world championships, expressed her happiness and pride in what was achieved, and explained that her competition with world champions fueled her enthusiasm, which doubles the value of the achievement..
She said that the first rain is a drop, and when the necessary capabilities are available for the female component, more medals will be achieved, explaining that a swimming pool and a permanent headquarters must be provided..
Al-Badr announced that the Kuwaiti women’s team will participate in all upcoming international, continental and Arab championships, after achieving distinguished figures in the tournament, and also praised the numbers achieved by the men’s team, which were admired by those in charge of the participating teams..
