Kuwaiti Sportsmen, Facilities Stood Brave, Bold Against Iraqi Invasion
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
4 Established 1961 Local Tuesday, August 3, 2021 Established 1961 The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf Kuwaiti sportsmen, facilities stood THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 brave, bold against Iraqi invasion Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN KUWAIT: The State of Kuwait Kuwaiti sportsmen began to retaliated marked yesterday the 31st anniversary without whatever they could to save Editor-in-Chief of the Iraqi invasion, which had affect Kuwait’s athletic legacy. ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN all aspects of life including the sports Speaking on the matter, Sulaiman EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 scene and community in the country. Al-Adsani, who was Deputy President ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 While Iraqis brutally occupied Kuwait of Kazma Sporting Club when Iraqis FAX : 24835620/1 on August 2, 1990, sports facilities invaded Kuwait, said that he took the CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 were turned into location for torture, decision to preserve the club’s files ACCOUNTS : 24833199 Extn. 125 death and imprisonment. Despite the and records, when he received a call COMMERCIAL : 24835618 invasion, Kuwaitis sportsmen and facil- from Yousef Al-Shaheen, the club’s P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. ities stood brave and bold against the President. Shaheen directed him to Email: [email protected] Website: www.kuwaittimes.net unlawful occupiers, reminding the collect files to be brought to his home Iraqis that they could not erase Kuwait for safe keeping before the Iraqi army KUWAIT: This archive photo taken following the liberation of Kuwait from the and its people from history. In their reach the cities, said Adsani. He contin- 1990 Iraqi invasion shows the Kazma Sporting Club, which was turned into a futile attempt to subdue the Kuwaiti ued that the Iraqi troops tried to large holding cell. — KUNA spirit, the Iraqi forces targeted Kazma impose the grim reality by turning Sporting Club, turning it to the largest Kazma’s squash court and swimming nation’s people were in need of until took him to the main Kuwait Prison holding cell. Facilities belonging to pool to into torture chambers. Several liberation is achieved. building with 3,000 captives before other clubs such as Al-Arabi, Qadsia, Athletes were taken in for questioning; Similarly, Al-Arabi’s football star transported to Basra in Boskhair cap- Limited seats cause and others also met the same fate. including volleyballs’ Fawzi Al- Malek Al-Qallaf, who was a military tivity where there were around 2,000 Prior to the invasion, the Kuwaiti Matouq, Jamal Al-Jazzaf, indicated Al- officer, also recounted the horrors of POWs. Thankfully, Yaseen was freed in sports community was looking ahead Adsani, revealing that there were the invasion. He spoke of his encounter February 1991 along with a large num- cancelations for for the upcoming sport season as sportsmen executed like basketball with the Iraqi forces, “Moayad Al- ber of POWs due to the International many of the teams were in training stars Qushayan Al-Mutairi, Ahmad Haddad, Khaled Al-Shimmiri, and Red Cross’s efforts following the many travelers camps abroad and the national squads Qabazard, Faysal Al-Sanea, Khaled Al- Abdulaziz Al-Ambery, I was playing Liberation. of various sports disciplines were Eid, and Abdulaziz Al-Misfer. football near my home Bayan area and Amongst Kuwaiti athletes captured to Kuwait gearing up for the 11th Asian Games in Relating his story, one of Kuwait’s suddenly we scattered in different by the Iraqis was Ahmad China in October of 1990. The Kuwaiti golden era athletes, Captain direction fearing for our lives as we Abdulhameed from Kuwait SC and the By Nawara Fattahova football team in March won the 10th Mohammad Ibrahim was with the realize that the Iraqi’s were hunting national football team. Abdulhameed, Gulf Football Cup and was preparing national football team in France as they down players.” Qallaf remembered along with compatriot Salem Al- KUWAIT: An unpleasant surprise awaited tens for the Asian Games in a training camp prepared for the coming Asian Games. how Kuwaitis used to be so fond of Kanderi, was taken to Kuwait clubs of passengers at Beirut airport who were in France; however, the team was He said that on the “fourth day of our their sports stadiums and facilities and facility, which was also another military returning to Kuwait, as they were told their shocked of the invasion with many training camp, the devastating news hit to witness them being used for such base. He recounted an hour-long seats were canceled, although their flight was members opting to return to the coun- the players and everything was put on heinous acts were overwhelming. meeting with Udai Saddam Hussain, still flying to Kuwait. They were not the only try via land from Saudi Arabia. halt with the team heading to Saudi Heroic acts were not carried out only the son of the Iraqi dictator. He ones who faced such a problem. Passengers on Another blow for the Kuwaiti sports Arabia to enter Kuwait.” “We entered by Kuwaitis, said Qallaf who recounted recalled that Udai insisted that he various airlines complained of unfair behavior scene came with the assassination of through the Saudi border by desert the story of a Pakistani worker at the played football for so-called 19th by airlines, which canceled their seats that they Kuwait Football Association’s (KFA) until we reached Kuwait and found Al-Arabi club named Muneer. Province team, and create a list of had booked and paid for, although the flight President Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al- Iraqi forces and tanks scattered all “Muneer managed to hide some of the players for the team. However, he and itself was not canceled. Jaber Al-Sabah who fought back over the desert,” Ibrahim added. clubs greatest trophies and shields Kanderi managed to foil the plan once Kuwait Times spoke to three different peo- against the Iraqi invaders. Also the Ibrahim stood witness to the before the Iraqi forces managed to get returning to Kuwait. Proceeding his ple flying on two different airlines whose seats killing of Qushayan Al-Mutairi, a mili- destruction and looting that flooded their hands on them,” Qallaf affirmed. encounter with Udai, Abdulhmeed and were canceled. One was only refunded half the tary officer who was scheduled to train the country and also successfully Meanwhile, the complete destruc- Kanderi were taken to captivity at Al- price he had paid and was told his flight was in Berlin on August 4th with the avoided the Iraqis attempt to draft tion of Al-Yarmouk SC’s facilities was Mashatil Agricultural district, where he canceled, while in fact it wasn’t. The other two National Basketball Team for the Asian him and other players in the so-called vast as recalled by Assistant Manager came in contact with one of Kuwait’s got full refunds and were offered two seats on Cup, was considered an another the “Province 19” football team. He of the club Husain Yaseen. Yarmouk well-known martyrs, Asrar Al- the same flight but for a higher price. example of Iraqis trying to break said he and other athletes figured out club had missile launchers and aircraft Qabandi. Qabandi died heroically Khaled from Al-Sayed travel agency Kuwaiti sportsmen. Mutairi bravely ways to avoid drafting by changing were positioned there, said Yassen. In while being tortured by the Iraqis. As explained the reason behind this problem. “This joined his military comrades, clashed their home addresses and identifica- December 1990, Yaseen was appre- for Khaitan Sporting Facility, Nasser is due to the limited seats on flights to Kuwait with the Iraqi forces and was killed in tions. Ibrahim did not stand still and hended and taken by the forces to Al-Ajmi, an athlete, verified that it was on some airlines, which does not include Kuwait the process. Following the examples of upon his return he solely devoted Salwa Police Station then to Bayan transformed into a military housing Airways. This quota of only 35 seats was set by Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad and Mutairi, himself in serve of whatever his Station along with 70 others. They camp for the Iraqi soldiers. —KUNA the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA),” he told Kuwait Times. These airlines submitted a request to DGCA to increase this quota or cancel it completely. Remembering the invasion: Al-Qurain Martyrs Museum “Based on this request, these airlines booked the entire flight. When they received the response from DGCA that their request is rejected, they canceled the tickets of a majority of passengers who exceeded the 35 seats on each flight,” added Khaled. “The passenger should always be offered either a different date without paying any addi- tional charges or a complete refund. But refunding only half the fare or offering rebook- ing for a higher price cannot be acceptable. We haven’t faced such a situation at our agency,” he concluded. According to Mohamed from Ritz travel agency, their agency also hasn’t faced such a problem. But he said they experienced some cases of cancelation of flights. “We had some clients complaining that after arriving at the air- port, they were told that their flight was can- celled, which caused inconvenience, especially since they were not informed in advance. They blame us for not informing them, but it’s the air- lines’ fault, who didn’t inform us in the first place. These passengers will either reschedule their flights or be fully refunded,” he told Kuwait Times. DGCA Director General Yousef Al-Fouzan told Kuwait Times that no meeting regarding increasing the quota for the airlines has been held yet.