According to a proposition presented by the Kuwaiti Olympic committee to the Islamic republic of Iran and the authentification of the national Olympic committee’s delegations for the west Asian region that prepared a seminar for the general secretaries of the national Olympic committees that were organized by the Asian Olympic council on the 2nd of April 1996, and in order to strengthen the Olympic solidarity between the west Asian Olympic council members and reinforce the competitive abilities regarding the sports’ teams in the region and that is throughout their participation in the west Asian games, the west Asian games federation (WAGF) was established as a regional body that supervises the west Asian games according to some rules and regulations.
The first tournament took place in Tehran during the period starting from the 19th till the 28th of November 1997. This tournament included mandatory and optional games.
The Kuwaiti and all the other teams participated in the first west Asian games,
achieved the following:
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| Football |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
| Swimming |
2 |
6 |
1 |
9 |
| Tennis |
- |
2 |
- |
2 |
| Fencing |
2 |
2 |
3 |
7 |
| Field and track |
8 |
5 |
2 |
15 |
| Judo |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
| Taekwando |
1 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
| Karate |
2 |
2 |
8 |
12 |
| Shooting |
1- |
- |
1 |
|
| Total |
15 |
22 |
20 |
57 |
Tehran games were considered the first of their kind, taking place every 2 years and including the competitive games for men.
The hosting country is responsible for taking decisions regarding the competitive games for men and women.
It is to be noted that women must administer women’s competitive games.
In addition to that the arbitrators, the leaders of the teams and the organizing parties must all be women.
The federation’s aim from these games is to achieve its main principles in order to reach the following:
To reinforce the youths’ mental and physical values in the west Asian region throughout organizing competitive sports that aim at reaching a kind of friendship, understanding, and peace and in turn strengthen the relations between the people in the region.
To assure the equality between the organizations members and to exclude all means of racial, religious, and political discrimination that may lead to deprivation, penalty or disturbance of a delegation, an employee or a sportsman regarding their participation in the games or the federation’s meetings or the committees’ membership.
To take active measures in order to increase the Olympic movement throughout its motto “ Faith, Health, and Development”.
However the federation’s authorities in the region are limited to the frame of the Asian Olympic council.
The Kuwaiti Olympic committee takes care of revealing the expected event through a good image that does not harm the Kuwaiti sports reputation. The committee had started its administrative and technical preparations since the first of April were the head of the Kuwaiti Olympic committee Sheikh Talal Fahed al Ahmad held a series of meetings with the concerned Kuwaiti sports’ federations.
During these meetings means of achieving the best results were studied specially that this tournament is taking place on the Kuwaiti lands.
In addition to that Sheikh Talal al Fahed revealed the plans that were set by the federations in order to prepare the teams.
He further asked these federations to set a timetable that complies with the fundamental budget of every federation and to point out all the advantages and disadvantages.
The head of the Kuwaiti Olympic committee Sheikh Talal Fahed al Ahmad sent official invitations to the Asian national federations in order to participate in the west Asian tournament games that will take place with the participation of 12 countries including Kuwait.
It is to be noted that Kuwait agreed on organizing the tournament and that is after Lebanon had excused itself
from doing so. Furthermore, half a million Kuwaiti dinar was dedicated as a financial budget to organize the tournament.
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