frtn THE GREATEST 47 Years Ago - Photo Archive of Muhammed Ali in Kuwait
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the sports journal
d e c 27 2018
The Assorted Co. Provid i n g e l e v ate d ch o i c e s f o r e v e r y d a y g i f t i n g.
Pre - cu rate d g i ft b oxe s + c u s t o m o rd e r s @theassortedco theassorted.co
27 12 2018
the sports journal
F EAT U R ES
WARM-UP 04
of the month
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news
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Fourteen’s selection of the month
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Kuwait fencing national team wins the Arab Championship in Tunisia
the event ad
Flare hosts their annual CrossFit competition for students
women in blue
An interview with Farah Boodai the founder of the Kuwait Women’s Football League (KWFL)
Front Cover Source: Bader Al Shaiji, Above: Jalil Marvin
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some history
Highlighting archive images from Mohammed Ali’s short visit to Kuwait in 1972 - As guest of Kuwait, he received a warm welcome wherever he went
all or nothing
Horseback rider and Ooredoo ambassador, Rakan Al Hasawi, talks exclusively to Fourteen about his recent participation in the Asian Junior Jumping Championship and his goals for the future
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RECOVERY 29
uaak
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sports science
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mental health
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highlight
A golden semester for AUM winning a treble across all three sports competitions in the UAAK Faisal Al Shawa offers advice on how to beat the winter sniffles Shade Al-Dikan sheds light on selflove in all its definitions Project 5 Miles- Your Fitness Freedom
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OF THE MONTH
NUMBER OF THE MONTH
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Bader Al Mutawa scored the first goal of the semi-final match between Al Qadsia and archrivals Al Arabi increasing his total goals in the competition to 26 and made him the 4th all-time top scorer in the history of the competition tied with Kuwaiti football legend Bashar Abdullah.
TWEET OF THE MONTH “To all the Kuwaiti TV Channels without any exceptions: Kuwait Club and Salmiya
Club are Kuwaiti Clubs that are competing for the first time in handball outside of
Kuwait. Your lack of interest and coverage is very strange. Especially that this is the only thing going on at the moment (in respect to handball)” @halkq8 - Halk - 22nd December 2018
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH Personally, I was happy that the referee blew the final whistle, so I can go home. Every player including myself spent the whole game falling down and to put it in layman terms the match was sickening to watch.”
Khaitan Football player Musaed Al Fouzan after their match against Al Sulaibikhat Club
FLOP OF THE MONTH
TOP OF THE MONTH Mohammed Al Mosawi, Salman Al Mosawi, Mohammed Bader -Kuwait’s National Karate team- won the gold medal in the World Karate Federation Karate 1-Series held in Shangahai after beating Italy in the semi-final 5-0 and Japan 4-1 in the final.
Left: Courtesy of Karate Twins Right: gitsport.net
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Al-Qadsia striker Ahmed Al Reyahi missed a penalty and several game-winning chances which caused Al Qadsia to lose to their bitter rivals Al Arabi in the Kuwait Federation Cup 2-0.
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NEWS
Kuwaiti wins the Arab Championships in Tunisia 6 gold medals and 5 bronze medals in singles and teams
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he Kuwaiti national fencing team won the Arab Championship hosted in Tunisia after beating the Tunisian team in the final and gathering a total of 6 gold medals and 5 bronzes in various singles and team competitions.
“. . . t h e P u b l i c A u t h o r i t y for Sport, to whom we d e d i c a t e t h i s v i c t o r y t o .”
Kuwaiti team coach Abdulkarim Al-Shamlan described to KUNA “This tournament was one of the most competitive competitions that we have participated in as some of the strongest Arab teams were present. It was not easy beating the Tunisian and Saudi teams, but the Kuwaiti players succeeded in winning many games and we were able to secure first place by winning gold medals in various competitions in all weapons Saber, Épée, and Foil.”
The Kuwaiti team won the Foil men’s gold medal on Friday after their victory over their Tunisian counterpart in the final, while the third place went to UAE and Iraq. The Kuwaiti team also won the men’s doubles Saber and Épée. In the individual competitions, Kuwaiti player Yusuf Al-Shamlan won the gold medal in Saber and the bronze went to Ammar Al-Amari.
He stressed that “Kuwait’s national team had a great performance and proved that they deserve being considered one of the most prestigious teams in the Arab world. Especially that this team has the full support of the Kuwaiti government and specifically the Public Authority for Sport, to whom we dedicate this victory to alongside the Kuwaiti Fencing Federation.”
Courtesy of aljone.com
The Kuwaiti player Ali Al-Fadhel won the gold medal in the Foil competition while Khalid Abdul Karim won the bronze medal in the same competition. Kuwait Olympian Abdul Aziz Al-Shatti won the gold medal of the Épée competition and Hussain Kamal won bronze.
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THE EVENT AD
THE DETAILS OF THE COMPETITION:
FITNESS COMPETITION:
Two divisions one for male
and the other for female, each category will compete against each other individually.
Capacity: 60M and 20F students Starting time: 3pm Ending time: 7:30pm
UNIVERSITY OBSTACLE RACE:
Ten universities will compete in an obstacle race. Each university will have a team of five students, and the gender mix doesn’t matter. Capacity: 50 students Starting time: 2pm Ending time: 3pm
FLARE FITNESS F E S T I VA L
This is an individual running race
with multiple obstacles that need to be accomplished. Anyone is welcome to join whether a
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ollowing the success of the four past Flare Fitness Festivals, Flare is back hosting the 5th annual festival! Flare fitness Festival is the first fitness competition for students in Kuwait. This is the fifth annual competition; the first one was held in February 2014. The purpose of the festival is to engage college students in healthy workouts and increase everyone’s awareness on the importance of being fit. University Students from across the country will compete against each other in the real test and test their fitness. The competing universities are Gulf University of Science and Technology (GUST), American University of Kuwait (AUK),
Courtesy of Flare Fitness
INDIVIDUAL OBSTACLE RACE:
Australian College in Kuwait (ACK), American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait University (KU) and Kuwait International Law School (KILAW). LOCATION: Gulf University of Science and Technology. DATE : 25th January – 27th of January
student or not.
Capacity: 240 students Starting time: 4pm Ending time: 8pm
THE EXPO:
There will an area with activities
and games, also some food trucks for the audience to visit by and entertain themselves through these activities along with the
University students, put your pens down, close your books and head over to GUST for the most exciting fitness challenge of the year!
competition which running with it. Starting time: 12pm Ending time: 10pm
We look forward to seeing you all there!
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KWFL
IT’S TIME FOR THE WOMEN IN BLUE. An inter view with Farah Boodai - founder of KWFL | Written by Nasser Naoum
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h e K u w a i t ’s F o o t b a l l National Team has never been ranked in the world by FIFA, and its time for a change. Women’s Football in Kuwait is finally evolving... The women in blue are now being heard. KFA has recognized KWFL services and has created Kuwait ’s first official Women’s Futsal League. Where women can now try out and compete for their own National Futsal Team. We interview Farah Boodai again, the founder of KWFL, who has made this dream a reality for everyone. What is KWFL? KWFL started off as a Social Football League for women, purely made to create opportunity for women to play regularly. After increasing the number of teams, introducing prizes and trophies, it has now evolved into the competitive league it has become today.
Courtesy of WFT 3.0
What made it transform to a competitive league? KWFL started off with 6 teams and in our last season had a total of 11 teams competing. With the introduction of medals and prizes, the players were extremely driven to win these awards, and to carry the title as the ‘Champions of KWFL’. The teams expanded to an extent where there had to be A and B teams (e.g. Jaguars A and Jaguars B). It got to a level where there were player transfers between different rival teams, as if someone went from Manchester United to Manchester City. This made it a nice balance, so the top 4 were always competing without one clear favorite team. This made the whole experience more intense. Their excitement befo re e ach game, the reg ul ar
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training sessions they had and their desire to win was on another level. Did the competitive aspect improve the quality of the players? Definitely. As the teams and players wanted to win more and more, they became more serious about training. Over time you could see the teams became much better, the way they played together improved so the competition and quality enhanced as a whole. What has changed since your interview on Fourteen’s Issue 001? Etihad sponsored the league last year and let us play at the Jaber Al- Ahmed Stadium’s football pitch. It was more of a statement to show that women DO play football. That there was genuine interest to encourage women’s football in Kuwait and it isn’t actually against culture or society at all. Fatima Hayat, Chairman and Board
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Member of Women’s Committee at KFA, has helped me with getting this sponsorship with Etihad and is really helping promote it for women. What’s the plan now with the KFA? For now, they’re starting off with a Futsal League. They do plan to have a domestic 11-a-side league in the future, as Kuwaiti clubs are finally opening their doors for female teams. The Futsal teams are from the National Teams, such as Al-Arabi and Al-Qadsiya. This league will hopefully encourage women to take part in football from a younger age, and transform the participation, competition and quality of Women’s Football even further. Do you still plan to keep the opportunity for women to play socially?
It’s my passion to make sure women have the opportunity to participate. By next year if there are women who don’t make it to Futsal competitively, I will make sure they still have the choice to participate in a more social league. How did it feel when you announced the news to the public? Even though I’m going to miss it. It feels like the dream that many women had, including myself, is finally coming true. I got so many messages from women and they were so thankful for everything. My goal was to make it grow to the point where the country knows that even the women can play football. One of the best feelings throughout the seasons was when the parents
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would come to watch their children, to record their kids, to show that they’re so proud of them. What are you most excited for now? To see the women who competed in my league to officially play for the KFA. I can’t wait to go to the first game, Kuwait ’s first national league football game for women. I know that the women in blue will be proud and the atmosphere will be incredible. What do you think was the most important factor to develop KWFL this far? The commitment from the players and participants. If it wasn’t for them the league wouldn’t have flourished at all. Their desire and passion for the sport really went above and beyond, no matter what barriers they had.
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THE MOMENT
eissa zankawi Kuwait’s Eissa Zankawi competes in the final of the men’s discus throw athletics event during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 29, 2018. MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images
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SOME HISTORY
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9 TH JANUARY 1972
ALI
, né Cassius Clay, passed away on the 3rd June, aged 74. He was a significant global sporting figure, having been the first boxer to win the undisputed world heavyweight boxing title three times. Ali was also a global cultural icon and prominent activist and campaigner throughout the Muslim world, having converted to Islam and changed his name in 1964, immediately after defeating Sonny Liston in his first world heavyweight title fight. In 1966 he refused the draft to the US armed services on grounds of conscientious objection (and as a minister of the Lost Found Nation of Islam), an act which saw him banned from boxing and stripped of his world title from 1966 to 1971, when his conviction was overturned on appeal. Having returned to boxing in 1970, he fought an exhibition bout in Doha in 1971. In 1972, boxing legend Muhammad Ali visited Kuwait. The visit was part of a tour to visit most of the Arabian Gulf countries. He was a guest of Kuwait and received a warm welcome wherever he went. In the cover photo, Sheikh Salman Al-Hamoud, president of the Al Arabi Club, presents a copy of the Holy Quran as a gift to the American Muslim hero at a special festival. Next to Sheikh Salman, one of the founding figures of the Al Arabi club, Abbas Al Ostath, known as Bouhmzah.
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Source: Kuwait Times 04/07/16 ‘Muhammad Ali: Tribute to a Legend’ exhibition to open at MIA
THE BOUT Above: Muhammed Ali challenging one of his coaches in the Al Arabi Club ring. Source: Bader Al Shaiji
THE DINNER World Boxer Muhammed Ali out dinning at the old Hilton Hotel in Kuwait. Source: 248am.com
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THE JOURNALISTS Muhammed Ali in a visit to the private institutes accompanied by the media, and specifically sports famous journalist Fawzi Jalal, whom appears to the right of the photograph. Beside him, photographer of the Ministry of Information Abdul Rahim Al Momen. Source: Bader Al Shaiji
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ALL OR NOTHING
ALL OR NOTHING Kuwaiti rider on a fast track to world domination An inter view with Rakan Al Hasawi
Salma Al Essa
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KUWAITI
horseback rider and Ooredoo ambassador Rakan Al Hasawi has wo n m o re m e d a l s a n d a c c o m plished more in his riding career at 18 years of age than many riders will accomplish in their entire career. He has earned the respect of veteran riders in Kuwait and attracted the spot light with his performances for quite some time. A l H a s aw i ta l ks exc l u s i ve l y to Fourteen about his recent participation in the Asian Junior Jumping Championship and his ambition in the sport. AEF JUNIOR JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIP During the summer, I had a training camp in Europe in preparation for the Asian Games. Unfortunately, two weeks before the Asian Games my horse got injured, leaving me unable to participate. Despite one of my main horses suffering an injury, I carried on with my training as I knew there was a busy season ahead of me. After my training camp ended, I returned to Kuwait and was shocked to receive an invitation to compete in the AEF Junior Jumping Championship. They wanted one rider from each country in Asia and I was very proud to be chosen to represent my country. The tournament was held from the 9th to the 12th of November in Chinese Taipei and it was the first time I was able to participate in the AEF Junior Jumping Championship. The rules of the tournament are different to usual tournaments, as riders don’t compete with their own horse but are given a horse by the organizers. On the first day of the competition, the organizers hold a draw determining which rider gets which horse. After each rider is given a horse, we have only forty minutes to practice with our new horses before the first round. There was a lot
Salma Al Essa
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“...It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one rather than have an opportunity and not be prepared.” pressure on the first day and a lot of unknown variables - I was competing with a horse that I have not prepared or practiced with. In the 40 minutes I was given with the horse, I tried my best not to tire the horse and simply get to know how responsive it is to quick turns and other commands. Thankfully, I did well in the first round and had the second-best result. On the second day, there were three rounds and the order of riders is reversed based on the results from the first round. This gave me an advantage as I got to watch how the other riders performed in the course.
Salma Al Essa
I cleared the first and second round without any issues and qualified for the third round known as the “Jump up”. The third round is the decider and it determines whether you win or lose in the competition. At that point I was very confident, and I believed that I was going to win the gold medal. Unfortunately, although I had the fastest time in the round, I had one fault which made me drop to third place and thus, I won the bronze medal in the AEF Junior Jumping Championship. Although I have participated and won medals in many international,
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regional, and national competitions, the bronze medal in the AEF Junior Jumping Championship was a big deal for me as it adds a lot to my international record. Moreover, this was the first time an Arab rider wins a medal in the history of the competition. CSI-W (3*) DARIYA EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL IN RIYADH Following my participation in the AEF Junior Jumping Championship, I returned to Kuwait for two weeks and prepared my horses for the CSI-W (3*) Dariya Equestrian Festival in
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“Horseback riding is a really tough s p o r t . . .y o u c a n t r a i n every single day of your life and do everything right, but at the end of the day you always have an e q u a l p a r t n e r.�
Salma Al Essa
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Riyadh. The last time we participated in this competition was in 2014 and it was the first international tournament organized in Saudi Arabia in the past 5 years. I had two horses and they both competed in the medium tour categories for all three days of the competition. I finished 3rd on the first day, 2nd on the second day, and 4th on the 3rd day. I was very proud and content with my performance and results during the tournament. ROOKIE NO MORE I’ve always had this motto in life that it’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one rather than have an opportunity and not be prepared. Since I was a young boy, I always tried to prepare myself to be the best possible and strived for the best in all competitions. Despite having some difficulties with school, I always believed that I could still make it if I practice and put in the time and effort. There was a period of time not too long ago where I was always left on the sidelines watching other riders compete and wouldn’t get the results that I had hoped for. I never let that get to me or put me down I continued to work really hard and practice because I knew it would all pay off in the end. Three years ago, at age 15, is when I surprised everyone, including myself, and won more competitions that I ever thought I would win at that age. I won one of the largest local competitions and first place prize was a car - I couldn’t believe it! Winning a car is surreal and unbelievable. Since then, everything changed. I knew I had to look at the bigger competitions. I went from junior rider to one of the main riders in the Kuwait Riding Center and the national team. I started getting invitations to competitions outside Kuwait and I began grabbing the attention of big sponsors, like Ooredoo. I have always aimed to reach as far as I can as quickly as I can. If everything goes as planned, I hope to compete in the Olympic games 2022
Salma Al Essa
“There was a period of time not too long ago where I was always left on the sidelines watching other riders compete...I never let t h a t g e t t o m e o r p u t m e d o w n” 23
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Salma Al Essa
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in Tokyo. But it’s never enough for me, I always challenge myself to do more and achieve more. To me life is split into two parts: an objective and hard work. You have to always work your hardest and do your best. That’s why to me it’s not just about becoming the best in Asia, I want to work hard and have my name to go down in history as the best in the world. Otherwise what’s the point? HOW I GOT HERE I wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything if it wasn’t for my parents. My father is the one that got me into horseback riding and encouraged me to start. Since I was young, he used to show me pictures and videos of himself competing in horseback riding and I always used to say that I want to be like him! My mother has been by my side since day one - at every competition, no matter where it was.
Salma Al Essa
“ I h ave a l w ay s aimed to reach as far as I can as q u i c k l y a s I c a n .” They both are a huge inspiration to me and they continue to push me to do better and better. 2019 SEASON From January to the beginning of April, I have several local competitions in Kuwait, with a chance that we will participate in a few international competitions scheduled in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. From June onwards, I will be off to Europe
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to compete in competitive international tournaments and participate in higher fences. Hopefully, I will be able to improve my overall rank through these competitions and be able to qualify for the Olympics. WORDS TO THE WISE Horseback riding is a really tough sport. It’s not like any other sport because you can train every single day of your life and do everything right, but at the end of the day you always have an equal partner. Your horse can sometimes wake up in the morning and not be in their best physical or emotional state and it will change everything, heavily impacting your performance. In my opinion, this sport has three main aspects: talent, time, money. I believe you need at least two of those three in order to succeed and none of the three are easy to attain.
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THE MOMENT
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ali abdulaziz Kuwait’s Ali Abdulaziz (R) charges on Kazakhstan’s Amir Didar Amirali during the match in the men’s 67kg category karate event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 26, 2018. PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images
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UAAK
A U M H I S TO R I C T R E B L E AUM finish unbeaten in all three competitions.
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or the first time in University Athletics Association of Kuwait (UAAK) history the American University of the Middle East (AUM) win gold in all Fall semester sports. AUM managed to dominate both women and men’s fall competitions in the UAAK beating Arab Open University (AOU) in both the men’s soccer and basketball final and Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) in the women’s basketball final.
As for the UAAK women’s basketball league AUM’s era of supremacy has been extended to the third consecutive season! Their women’s basketball has not been defeated in the past three seasons and have continuously proven season after seasons that they’re the best there is. AUM reached the final without facing any difficulty qualifying top of the table without a single loss. In the playoffs AUM beat the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) in a one-sided fixture and faced GUST in the final. The titleholders and league favorites defended their title with ease and maintained a comfortable distance throughout the four quarters and AUM once again were crowned champions beating GUST 39-29.
On the 19th of December AUM hosted the UAAK men’s soccer final match vs. AOU. The boys in red were ready for vengeance as this final match was a repeat of last year’s final when AOU beat AUM and won the UAAK trophy. Coming in to the final AUM were the favorites to win as they qualified to the playoffs as first in the league and had a squad studded with national team players. AOU took advantage of a set piece and scored the first goal of the evening early in the first half. The defending champions defended their lead till moments before the end of the first half when AUM managed to score an equalizer also from a set piece. The second half was one sided with AUM controlling possession and dictating tempo unfortunately for them their many chances didn’t materialize and the AOU defense forced the home team to extra time and the fulltime score was 1-1. Extra time was uneventful as players from both sides were losing focus and the game was to be decided by penalties. AOU missed their first shot and AUM took the lead 1-0. AOU goalkeeper closed the gap by saving two penalties but the AOU players couldn’t capitalize and missed more shots. In the end, the best team won and AUM defeated the titleholders and became UAAK league champions once again!
Ahmed Al Awadhi
The men’s basketball team were destined to make it 3 out of 3 gold medals for AUM in the fall semester. Just like the men’s soccer and women’s basketball the AUM men’s basketball team were clear favorites to win the title as they finished the regular season top of the table without a single loss. Armed with some of the best players in the nation AUM easily blew past GUST in the semi-final and were set to face AOU in the final match. UAAK underdogs AOU caused a surprising upset in the semi-finals knocking out titleholders ACK out of the tournament and proudly earning their spot in the final. Just like the men’s soccer final AOU didn’t make it easy for AUM and finished the first quarter ahead by 8 points. As expected, the boys in red were not going to roll over and came back in the second quarter ready to eliminate the deficit. They took the lead in the second quarter and maintained a comfortable lead ahead of AUM that made it too difficult for the underdogs to cause yet another upset this season. AUM were crowned champions of the UAAK men’s basketball league defeating AOU 80-74.
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Ahmed Al Awadhi
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Ahmed Al Awadhi, Al Rai
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Al Rai
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Al Rai
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Al Rai
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SPORTS SCIENCE
HOW TO FIGHT THE WINTER SNIFFLES Written by Faisal Al Shawa | Founder of Believe Nutrition
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inter is here! During this time of year, our immune system weakens which means were at a greater risk of catching some sort of sickness. After exercise, our immune system weakens as well, so in combination, both of these can be quite detrimental to our health and well-being. The reason why I’ve created this blog is to convince people of the powerful effects healthy nutrition has on our health. And again, here it is to prove my point. Indeed, proper nutrition during the winter season can offset the drop in immune system function. This, of course, is provided you are doing the right things to stay strong and healthy. That said, here’s what you can do to boost your immune system and beat the winter sniffles: AVOID DEHYDRATION When your body is dehydrated, the ability to remove toxins and waste diminishes. In turn, this increases the chance of catching some sort of illness. For this reason, always stay hydrated to boost the immune system and help the body flush out toxins and fight infection.
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REDUCE STRESS When we face stress or anxiety, the stress hormone, cortisol, increases.
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Left: Courtesy of Faisal Al Shawa
Stress may influence the way our body works, more specifically hormone levels and the ability to defend itself. As hard as this may be at times, try to avoid stressing yourself too much during the winter season to keep healthy and vibrant!
hours of sleep you get, the more cortisol is increased within the body and the weaker your immune system gets. Studies show that poor sleep is also coupled with poor food choices. Eating unhealthily and not sleeping enough is only a call for trouble.
AVOID RAPID WEIGHT LOSS Suddenly decreasing your energy (caloric) intake can be harmful to your health. Make sure you’re eating enough during this time period, especially foods rich in vitamins and minerals (i.e. fruits and vegetables) to support your body with the necessary nutrients needed to fight off infection.
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INCREASE PROTEIN INTAKE When people hear protein, they automatically think muscles. While this is true, there’s more to protein than just muscle growth and recovery. There are many components (i.e. antibodies) which make up a strong immune system, and such components are comprised of protein. Hence, increase your protein intake during the winter to build a stronger and more functioning immune system.
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INCREASE SLEEP Similar to stress, a lack of sleep can alter hormone levels within the body – more so cortisol levels. The less
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IMPROVE HYGIENE Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands during the day. Perhaps even use hand sanitizers whenever possible and avoid touching your face with dirty hands. Again, our immune system already weakens during the winter season, so you don’t want to further dampen immunity by ingesting your body with bad bacteria. Stay clean! The way I like to think about the immune system and health is in relation to exercise. I definitely want to feel healthy and strong to avoid the unpleasant feeling of being sick, but it’s more about developing a strong immune to keep fit and exercise daily. The idea of having to sit at home and not exercise because of illness is something I can’t fathom. That’s what motivates me to eat and sleep well and something for you to think about. Regardless, I highly urge you to implement these tips into your lifestyle during the winter season. Stay healthy, feel strong, live well.
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MENTAL HEALTH
it ’s all in your head. Written by Shade Al Dikan | @findshade
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s we all may not seem to admit it, being confident in your own skin is a sensitive subject that we all most likely struggle with. Especially today, in a climate where social media is the most predominant aspect in the lives of both adolescent girls and boys. This is a serious issue because now is a time where most teens are surrounded by their peers so they can now easily have access to individual opinions instantly. Not only does body shaming have a pernicious influence on teens lives, but it also prevents them from playing the
Shade Al Dikan
sports that they like to play. From my experience, I constantly see very talented players at my school not participating in school activities like trying out for a sport because of how their body looks. Which shows that body shaming is a very conspicuous issue that no one seems to bring any attention to especially here in the middle east. Body shaming needs to be acted upon now because it is ominously affecting the next generation in doing what they love to do despite others opinions. Throughout this edit, I want both young girls and boys to take the time to learn how to love their bodies
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and most importantly, to love themselves in order to give the world the most out of them and to take risks in challenging themselves to get better at something that they enjoy doing. I know that loving yourself and having self-confidence takes time to learn because I suffered through it for a long amount of my life but I later realized that having self-confidence and talent does not relate to how your body looks. As the saying goes, the journey towards success is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Which is why all teens should be very tactful and careful about what they have to say to others and to take time to think about what’s best for themselves.
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The Assorted Co. Provi di n g e l e v ate d c h o i c e s f o r e v e r y d a y g i f t i n g.
@theassortedco theassorted.co
HIGHLIGHT AD
YOUR FITNESS FREEDOM An inter view with Anwaar Al Refaie - P5M CEO | Written by Nasser Naoum
What is P5M? P5M is a fitness booking platform, that can range from classes, events, PTs and any other relevant sport related activities. The goal of this App is to elevate the overall fitness level of the country, by making it more accessible to attend fitness classes, while adding a social element.
What different group classes do you have on the App?The best part of our App is that you can go to the best classes for each discipline. For example, you can do Spinning at Lyfe Cycle, Pilates at Pilates & More, Boxing at The Hook, or Bootcamp at the Burrow. From feedback, what do your customers find most valuable on the App? The users love the pricing competitive advantage we have. The customers are able to have a wide variety of gyms for the lowest prices.
What inspired P5M to start? It was more effort to sign up to a class than actually participate and train. We wanted to break this barrier, to make it both accessible and motivating to go to any class or gym people wanted.
The trainers’ profiles are also what really makes our App unique. Because in Kuwait, the coaches are what the people go to for. So our users can pick their favourite trainer and follow all the classes that they instruct every single week!
What different packages do you have on the App? We mainly have the 5 class passes for 30KD, which gives you access to up to 25 gyms in Kuwait. Users also have the option to purchase single class passes, one of the only Apps to have both a package and single entry based access.
What would you say to people who haven’t tried the App yet?We have created a Fitness Freedom for you to choose the best sporting activities in Kuwait without any commitment. Whether you’re just curious to try it out, or serious about your fitness journey, P5M has you covered!
Why do people prefer flexibility of joining different gyms rather than committing to one? Simple, lack of belief in their self. People are paranoid in committing to paying for a gym membership and not using it enough. They would rather have the flexibility of ‘paying as they go’.
Courtesy of P5M
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