The Third Gulf Sports Games, held in Kuwait under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, was officially inaugurated on Sunday at the Sheikh Jaber Al-Abdullah International Tennis Complex, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister of Kuwait.
The competitions began on May 16, with over 1,700 male and female athletes participating from six countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and the host country, Kuwait. Notably, this edition sees female participation for the first time in the Gulf Sports Games, whereas the first two editions held in Bahrain in 2011 and Saudi Arabia in 2015 were exclusively male.
The opening ceremony was attended by high-level political and sports leaders from Kuwait, the Gulf region, Asia, and internationally. Among the notable sports leaders present were Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee; Prince Fahd bin Jiluwi, Deputy President of the Saudi Olympic Committee; Dr. Ahmad Balhoul Al-Falasi, Minister of State and President of the General Sports Authority in the UAE; Mr. Khalid Al-Zubair, President of the Oman Olympic Committee; Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Deputy President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee; and Prince Faisal bin Hussein, President of the International Olympic Committee, along with numerous heads of international, Asian, and Gulf sports federations.
