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Kuwait Chit Chat
Out and About at the Sheikha Al Saad Open
..... Steve Cubbins in Kuwait |
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#3: Al Corniche Club
As if the facilities and hospitality on offer at the Al Qadsia
club and the players' hotels, the New Park and Holiday Inn, one
of the event sponsors is the Al Corniche Club, which has
offered free useof its facilities to the palyers for the
duration of the event.
 The
club opened just over a year ago, having taken three years to
build at a cost of 800,000 KD (around £1.5m), and its facilities
are truly impressive.
We were given a guided tour by Ahmad, the club's squash
professional, and Mr Hussain Maqseed, and we were
impressed.
 Three
squash courts, indoor and outdoor pools - one with spectacular
lighting effects - , fitness rooms, bars, restaurant, saunas,
and even an ice room, all sumptuously decorated and all very
spacious and relaxed.
Plus, there are private Cabanas available if you want to extend
your stay and relax for a few hours in between using the other
facilities.
Pictures are worth thousands of words, so rather than me
wittering on, just sit back and
enjoy the slideshow ...
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#2: Tue 2nd, Press Conference
The event was officially launched this evening at the Qadsia
Club with a press conference hosted by event President
Sheikha Fadiyah Al Sabah.
Around 30 representatives of the Kuwaiti media were present, as
the Sheikha, along with Technical Director Major General
Dr Mahmoud Razouki, KSF Chairman Mr Hussain Maqseed
and Tournament Director Robert Edwards detailed the
background to the event and mapped out what was to come over the
next few days as the world's top players come to Kuwait.
With the feeling of excitement generated by the first two events
still fresh in everyone's minds, the anticipation for this, the
most valuable squash tournament ever staged, was clear to see.
We'd tell you more, but the proceedings were largely in Arabic,
so here's the photos while we wait to see what tomorrow's papers
bring ...
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Photo Gallery |
#1: Welcome to Kuwait
 Preparations
are well under way for the 3rd Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open, and
the local organising committee, headed by Dr Mahmoud
Al-Razouki (Technical Director) and Mr Hussein Maqseed
(Kuwait Squash Federation Chairman) have been beavering away to
good effect.
When you arrive early at an event - as opposed to just turning
up as the matches begin - you get a feel for just how much
ground work is involved. At the Al Qadsia Club there are workmen
everywhere, putting up signage, bringing in new furniture,
renovating the courts (the main glassback court doesn't have a
front wall at the moment, but not to worry, there's four more!),
decorating the media centre, setting up the WiFi, and a host of
other jobs to that need be done as the event takes over the
club.
 Well,
not quite taking over actually - Al Qadsia is a huge place, its
facilities include football pitches and three international
swimming pools (on top of each other in a three-story
building!), and there's an international Water Polo competition
happening at the same time as the Squash event, so even here
parking might become a problem ...
The glass court is going up too, of course. It's situated in an
impressively large hall with hundreds of seats either side, and
we're promised spectacular sound and laser effects for the
opening ceremony and indoor pyrotechnics for the close. All that
equipment goes in from the 3rd April.
The local media are all invited to a press conference at the
club on Monday night, and it all kicks off with men's qualifying
on Thursday 5th. With a $172,500 prize fund this is the biggest
men's event ever held, and the Kuwaitis are determined to make
it the best too - not forgetting the WISPA Gold event which sees
all the top women players heading this way too.
For now here's a few scene-setting photos, many more to come
over the next ten days ... |
Dr Al-Razouki welcomes
Robert Edwards
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It
was a lovely touch when Sheikha Fadyah with a group of her
friends welcomed all of the girls from WISPA and the boys from
PSA onto the stage to receive local costumes - & insisted that
they wear them that night. Smiles and laughter were the order of
the day. 
