Kuwaiti government offers full backing for sports movement

Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs, Minister of Information and Acting Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah on Wednesday reaffirmed the government's full commitment to the promotion of the sports movement and putting all material and moral resources at the disposal of the youth.
"In so doing, the government sticks to the letter and spirit of the speech of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah," the minister told a parliamentary debate on the sports situation in the country.
"We work to create the necessary conditions for empowering the sportspeople to attain eminent position at the regional, intercontinental and international events," he said.
Commenting on the poor performance of the national football team in the 22nd GCC Cup, Sheikh Mohammad blamed the failure on Kuwait Football Association (KFA) and its general assembly as well as the sports clubs.
"The Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) spared no effort in offering financial backing for the KFA as per the laws, statutes and regulations relating to the budgets.
"Out of a total of KD 100,000 appropriated for the KFA to take part in internal and external events in FY 2014-2015, KD 562,988 has been dispensed so far; the figure represents 52 percent of the total volume, thus exceeding the appropriations for the first half of the year.
"The salaries, accommodation and allowances for technical management and physicians cost up to KD 206,000, thus taking to KD 770,000 the total funding for KFA until November 24," he explained. A Kuwaiti dinar is worth USD 3.42.
"PAYS issued 540 permissive temporary duty (TDY) leaves for KFA members between April 1 and November 24, 2014," Sheikh Mohammad said, noting that the government made its utmost to enable the youths to build a better future through a complete system of educational health, cultural and sports facilities.
"Besides the financial support, PAYS is constantly modernizing its administrative and financial regulations and upgrading the sports facilities with a view to enable the youths take prominent spots at international sports events," he pointed out.
In this connection, he noted that PAYS opened in the last two weeks an indoor athletic complex at Al-Arabi SC and a swimming complex at Al-Sulaibkhat SC, and plans to open four major sports projects at Al-Tadamun, Al-Nasr, Kazma and Al-Fatah SCs in the coming 90 days.
Sheikh Mohammad noted that Kuwaiti youths have made outstanding achievements in the individual competitions at recent games such as 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, where Kuwait ranked 18th with three golds, five silvers, and four bronzes.
He added that the government approved a national plan for sports enhancement and tasked PAYS with laying out the executive framework of the plan.
He commended the newly-adopted Act No 30/2014 on investment in the sporting clubs and the partnership between the public and private sectors in this domain.
Source: KUNA