• Athletes at the 9th Asian Winter Games (Harbin 2025) will compete in eleven individual and team events, including indoor sports like ice hockey, curling, and figure skating, as well as outdoor competitions on snowy terrains such as ice slopes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping officially inaugurated the 9th Asian Winter Games (Harbin 2025) on Friday at Harbin’s Convention Centre. The event features around 1,500 athletes from 34 countries, including Kuwait, which is represented by a 55-member delegation competing in four sports, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Athletes compete in eleven individual and team events, including indoor sports such as ice hockey, curling, and figure skating, as well as outdoor competitions held on snowy terrains like ice slopes.
The ceremony featured the entry of participating delegations, welcomed with an enthusiastic reception from the Chinese audience. The Kuwaiti delegation received significant attention, and the Chinese organizing committee delivered a welcoming speech, followed by a speech from the Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, addressing the Council.
Artistic and folk performances
The ceremony also included the raising of the Olympic Games flag by Olympic athletes, along with artistic and folk performances showcasing Chinese and Asian heritage and its connection to winter sports.
Additionally, a presentation highlighted key historical moments of the event since its first edition in Sapporo, Japan, in 1986. The ceremony concluded with the lighting of the tournament’s torch, marking the official start of the competitions.
Ali Al-Marri, the head of the Kuwaiti delegation, stated to the Kuwaiti media that the country’s participation reflects the strong support of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect him, His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, may God protect him, and the wise leadership of the government in advancing the sports movement.
He emphasized the Kuwait Olympic Committee’s commitment, under the leadership of Sheikh FahadNasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to participating in this major continental event, which ranks as the second most significant sports tournament in Asia after the Asian Summer Games (ASIAD).
Al-Marri added that Kuwait is represented by the largest Arab delegation, highlighting the growth of winter sports in the country. He credited this progress to the efforts of the Kuwaiti Winter Games Club, led by Fahad Al-Ajami, in promoting and developing these sports while increasing the number of participants.
He also noted that Kuwait’s ice hockey and curling teams made significant efforts in competitions that began before the official opening, expressing his hope for positive results in the upcoming events.
Growth of winter sports in Kuwait
In turn, Fahid Al-Ajmi, the director of the Kuwaiti mission, expressed his pride in raising the Kuwaiti flag at this prestigious sports forum, emphasizing that this experience provides players, especially youth athletes, with an opportunity to gain experience and develop, contributing to the future growth of winter sports in Kuwait.
Al-Ajmi highlighted that this marks Kuwait’s fifth participation in the event, following previous appearances in Gangwon 1999 (South Korea), Changchun 2007 (China), Almaty 2011 (Kazakhstan), and Sapporo 2017 (Japan). He also commended China’s exceptional organization of the opening ceremony, which reflected the values of friendship and peace among Asian nations.
At the end of his speech, Al-Ajmi praised the support of Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi, the Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, for the Kuwaiti mission. He also acknowledged the role of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and the General Authority for Sports in making all necessary arrangements to ensure a successful and distinguished participation in this edition of the Games.
The opening ceremony was attended by several Kuwaiti officials, including the Counselor at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait to China, Faisal Al-Mad; the Secretary of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and Director of the Olympic Council of Asia, Hussein Al-Muslim; member of the Board of Directors of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee, Fatima Hayat; member of the Women’s Committee of the Fourth Committee, Al-Hajri; and members of the administrative delegation of the Kuwaiti mission.
