Kuwait, Bahrain strike shooting gold, eight Arab nations in fray at AWST athletics event

Kuwait’s Ghezlan Hasan won the gold medal in the individual 10m air pistol competition on Friday, marking the opening of shooting contests at the 8th edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2026). Bahrain shooters bagged the gold medal in the team competition.

Ghezlan secured first place after a closely contested final against Qatar’s Salma Almass, with the duel decided on the final shot. The Kuwaiti shooter finished with a total score of 231.1 points, while Almass claimed silver with 228.3 points. Bahrain’s Qamar Ali Ali took the bronze medal with 207.5 points.

In the team competition, Bahrain topped the standings through Mooza Ali, Qamar Ali and Badreya Alatawi with a combined score of 1662.30 points. The UAE placed second via Ghaya Alshuhail, Mahra Alsuwaidi and Reem AlKetbi with 1637.25 points, followed by Kuwait in third through Ghezlan Hasan, Shaha Alkhaddah and Monerah Alfahad with 1635.20 points.

Shooting will resume on Sunday with the 10m air rifle competition at Al Dhaid Shooting Range, with competition scheduled to begin at 9:30 am.

Meanwhile, with 94 athletes from nine sports clubs across eight countries on the start line, athletics competitions will commence on Sunday at AWST 2026, hosted at Al Thiqa Club for the Disabled in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The athletics competition features nine clubs: UAE’s Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and Abu Dhabi Athletics Club; National Talent Club representing Egypt; Palestine Club; the Iraqi Al Fatat Sports Club – Nineveh; Khaleej Club representing Saudi Arabia; Jordan’s Al Qadisiyah Sport Club; the Salwa Alsabah Club from Kuwait; and the Libyan Women’s Sports Federation.

All athletics events are hosted at Al Thiqa Club for the Disabled, except for the hammer throw and pole vault, which will be held at the Sharjah Women’s Sports Olympic Centre.

The technical meeting for the athletics competition was held on Saturday in the presence of Sheikha Hayat Bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Chair of the Supervision and Follow-up Committee of AWST; Abdulaziz Al Anzi, Secretary General of the Union of Arab Sports Committees; Moza Al Shamsi, Director of AWST; Alyazia Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director of AWST; Saleh Ashour, Chair of the Technical Coordination Committee; Tamer Gomaa, representative of the League of Arab States and member of the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports; along with members of technical committees, referees, coaches and team administrators.

Opening the meeting, Ayyoub Lashkari, Vice Chair of the Technical Coordination Committee, welcomed the delegations and stressed the importance of compliance with technical and organisational regulations to ensure smooth competition.

For her part, Sheikha Hayat Al Khalifa highlighted the significant progress of the current edition. She also called for full adherence to regulations as the event continues to establish itself as an international benchmark.

Abdulaziz Al Anzi praised the organisation and reception, commended the efforts of the organising committee, and stressed the importance of adhering to approved regulations to ensure fair competition.

Moza Al Shamsi welcomed the participating delegations, wished all athletes success, and highlighted the strong coordination between the organisational and technical committees.

The meeting included a briefing by the UAE Anti-Doping Agency on approved procedures, with emphasis on awareness and coordination in cases of medical treatment. The competition schedule was reviewed, officiating and eligibility committees were confirmed, and athlete eligibility was verified through accreditation cards and passports before official cards were issued to team administrators.