Kuwait’s national ski team left Dubai with six medals, three gold and three silver, after the UAE Freestyle Freeski FIS championship ended on Friday following three days of competition. The event was held under the umbrella of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
A strong haul across two disciplines
Saleel Al-Abdullah and Safaa Al-Abdullah accounted for every one of the team’s medals. They won two golds and two silvers in the style events and added a gold and a silver in the street style events. In freeski, “style” competitions generally reward the quality and creativity of an athlete’s tricks, while street style events are built around rails and urban-style features.
Speaking to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Safaa Al-Abdullah said the women’s competition was strong and closely contested. Athletes from several countries took part, including France, Iran and the UAE. She credited national coach Abdulrahman Al-Wohaibi with preparing the team and said the results would spur the squad on for upcoming competitions.
Thanks to supporters and organisers
Al-Abdullah thanked the Kuwait Winter Games Club and the Public Authority for Youth and Sport for backing the team and helping it travel. She also praised the UAE organising committee, which staged competitions in a range of styles over the three days, and dedicated the achievement to Kuwait’s leadership, its people and members of the Winter Games Club.
Why it matters for UAE sport
For the UAE, hosting an international freeski event with athletes from several nations is another sign of the country’s ambitions beyond traditional desert-climate sports. The Emirates made its Winter Olympic debut at the Milan Cortina Games in February, sending two athletes. Home-hosted competitions give emerging winter-sports athletes, both Emirati and resident, a chance to test themselves against regional and international rivals without leaving the country.
The result also reflects the Gulf’s growing depth in winter disciplines. Kuwait’s athletes won medals in two disciplines against a field that included competitors from Europe and the wider region. Such results are notable in countries where snow sports have only recently gained a foothold.
Context for the region
The championship took place against a tense regional backdrop, with the UAE and its neighbours dealing with security concerns and travel disruption. Even so, the event went ahead and finished on schedule, a reminder that sporting calendars across the Gulf are continuing despite the pressures.
What comes next
Safaa Al-Abdullah said the team’s focus now turns to upcoming competitions, though no dates were given in Kuwaiti reports. With the winter season approaching in the northern hemisphere, athletes who have competed in Dubai may look to build on this form in international events.
The Emirates Times will follow up with the full medal table and details of UAE competitors once the organisers publish results.
