The 9th Asian Winter Games (Harbin 2025) kicked off on Friday at the Harbin Convention Centre, with Chinese President Xi Jinping officially inaugurating the event. Approximately 1,500 athletes from 34 countries, including a 55-member Kuwaiti delegation, are set to compete in a variety of events. Kuwait is represented in four sports at this prestigious winter competition.
The Games feature 11 individual and team events, encompassing both indoor and outdoor disciplines. Athletes will compete in indoor sports like ice hockey, curling, and figure skating, as well as outdoor events on snowy terrains, such as ice slopes.
During the opening ceremony, participating delegations entered the venue to an enthusiastic reception from the Chinese audience. The Kuwaiti delegation was given special attention, and the event included speeches from the Chinese organizing committee and Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, the Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia. The ceremony also featured artistic and folk performances celebrating Chinese and Asian heritage, along with a presentation reflecting key moments from the history of the Games, which began in Sapporo, Japan, in 1986. The lighting of the tournament’s torch marked the official start of the competition.
Ali Al-Marri, the head of the Kuwaiti delegation, expressed pride in Kuwait’s participation, emphasizing the country’s strong support for sports from His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. He credited the Kuwait Olympic Committee’s leadership, under Sheikh Fahad Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, for the country’s involvement in this important event, which is ranked as the second-largest sports tournament in Asia after the Asian Summer Games (ASIAD).
Al-Marri also noted that Kuwait is sending the largest Arab delegation to the Games and acknowledged the growing popularity of winter sports in the country. He credited the Kuwaiti Winter Games Club, led by Fahad Al-Ajami, for its efforts in promoting winter sports and increasing participation.
Fahad Al-Ajami, director of the Kuwaiti mission, expressed pride in raising the Kuwaiti flag at the Games and highlighted the value of the experience for young Kuwaiti athletes. He emphasized that Kuwait’s participation at the Asian Winter Games for the fifth time provides invaluable experience that contributes to the growth of winter sports in the country.
Al-Ajami also recognized China’s exceptional organization of the opening ceremony, which reflected the values of friendship and peace among Asian nations. He expressed his gratitude for the support of Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi, Kuwait’s Minister of Information and Culture, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, as well as the Kuwait Olympic Committee and the General Authority for Sports.
The opening ceremony was attended by several Kuwaiti officials, including Faisal Al-Mad, the Counselor at the Kuwaiti Embassy in China, Hussein Al-Muslim, Secretary of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and Director of the Olympic Council of Asia, and Fatima Hayat, a member of the Board of Directors of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee. They were joined by other members of the Kuwaiti administrative delegation.
With the participation of athletes from Kuwait and around the world, the 9th Asian Winter Games are set to showcase the best of winter sports and international cooperation.
