KUWAIT: Kuwait Ice Hockey team started its competition in the Asian Ice Hockey Cup Championship with a convincing 8-0 win against Macao. Kuwait's players led by Jassim Al-Awadhi scored thrice in the first period, twice in the second and three more in the third. Both offence and defense put in outstanding performances.

Kuwait's goals were scored by Ahmad Al-Ajmi, Jassim Al-Awadhi, Abdallah Al-Maraghi and Adbelaziz Al-Shateel. In the other fixture, India came up on top against Oman with a close 3-2 victory over their gulf rivals. They scored two decisive goals in the third period,taking them closer to winning the title.

Minister of Commerce and Industry, Acting Minister for Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Board of Public Authority for Sports said PAS will work on supporting the efforts of Kuwait Winter Games Club. It is exerting all its efforts in promoting the game in Kuwait and is set to allocate an Ice Skating Rink for the club with international standards to accommodate lovers of winter sports in Kuwait.

Al-Roudhan who spoke to journalists after the opening ceremony said Kuwait's national team participation in international tournaments, along with their women's team and junior teams of both genders is a plus for the club's board. He lauded the organization of the tournament which shows that the club has what it takes to manage major international events, adding that PAS is keen on supporting and having Kuwait's flag prominently flown around the sporting world.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board of the Winter Sports Club Fuhaid Al-Ajmi said Kuwait's Organization of this tournament is the crowning achievement of the outstanding relations between the club and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). He said the club worked hard to prepare for the tournament and hoped that fans enjoy the matches.

Al-Ajmi appreciated the patronage of the tournament by Minister Khalid Al-Roudhan as well as PAS which helped the club to organize this important event. IIHF representative and Director of Game Development in Asia Andy Kerr lauded the preparations and organizational skills by the Kuwaiti side, and said he is proud of being in Kuwait which became an crucial member of the IIHF.

The opening ceremony included a documentary about Ice Hockey's development in Kuwait, which started its' operations in promoting and nourishing the sport since the 1980s. In addition to the screening, Kuwait's women ice hockey team members performed on the ice while figure skater Rasha Al-Shaar gave an outstanding performance that was highly appreciated by the crowd.

By Abdellatif Sharaa, Staff Writer