By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The political decision and policy of Kuwait that bans Kuwaiti players from competing against players from the Zionist entity prevented Mohammed Al-Awadhi from reaching the finals of the Ten-Pro Global Junior Tour for competitors under the age of 14 that was held in Dubai. After reaching the semifinals, he was supposed to play a player from the Zionist entity, but he withdrew from the match. Yesterday, Mohammed beat a Romanian player to finish third in this international championship.

"Mohammed would probably have won the tournament and ranked first if he hadn't withdrawn in the semifinal, as he had beaten the candidate for the title. This is the policy of Kuwait and he had to follow it. Any other player in any sport would do the same," Mohammed's father Dr Jassem Al-Awadhi told Kuwait Times.

Mohammed Al-Awadhi is 13 years old and ranked ninth in Asia and the best in his category in Kuwait at all age stages. He was also ranked as the best player in the Gulf during a tennis championship held in Doha in 2019. "Kuwaiti players respect the decisions of the Kuwait Tennis Federation. I thank the President of the Federation Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the head of the Kuwaiti delegation Ali Al-Dihani for their support for Kuwaiti players in this and other championships," Jassem Al-Awadhi stressed.