KUWAIT, June 26 (KUNA) -- The Second Arab Artistic Men's Gymnastics Championship will kick off here on Sunday with athletes from 12 Arab countries competing for Martyr Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's Cup.
The four-day event will take place under auspices of Kuwait's Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs, Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Minister of State for Development Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, director of the championship Saif Abu-Adl told reporters here on Saturday.
"The opening ceremony will take place at the Movenpick Hotel and Resort Al-Bida'a while the competitions will kick off at Al-Arabi Sports Club hall on Monday," Abu-Adl said.
"The organizing committee, chaired by Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, decided to hold the opening ceremony as a new tradition in honor of the participating delegates.
"Beside refining the skills of, and instilling confidence into, the participating athletes, such events help strengthen the people-to-people ties among the Arab countries," he noted.
Abu-Adl extolled Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad for sponsoring the event which is named after Martyr Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the sponsor of the sports movement in Kuwait, and the Arab and Asian countries.
Meanwhile, chief of the Kuwait mission to the championship Abdulaziz Al-Hneidi said the Kuwaiti athletes are fully fit to make good score at the event.
Appreciating the technical level of the participating delegations, Al-Hneidi said the competitions would be hotly contested and by no means easy.
"The Kuwaiti team has recently held a training camp in Cairo for 20 days when they got in touch with the highly-qualified Egyptian athletes," he pointed out.
Al-Hneidi voiced hope that the Kuwaiti players would be able to notch up gold medals at the exciting event.
In the open games individuals will vie for the title of the top seed while eight athletes will contest the six competitions of the championship namely, floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar. - Kuna