Fourteen Issue 003 EN

NEW BEGINNINGS

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12 2016

the

sports

journal

issue

003

HEALTHY DELICIOUS SNACKS! @snackboxkw +965 9696 6360 �.snackboxkw.com

december

News

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Kuwait crowned champions of the 8th GCC Wheelchair Championship 04

Some History

Moments Of The Year

Some of the memorable moments of the year including: Battle of the East, Al-Roudhan Ramadan Tournament, the Olympics, Asian Indoor Athletics Competition, Paralympics 2016

Front Cover, Above: Adnan Kamal

Faye Day

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RECOVERY 33

Fourteen talks to Faye Al Sultan about her experience at the Olympics, graduation from Williams College, and her favorite moments of the year. She also shares her future plans and goals for the upcoming year.

Former Kuwait National Team Manager, Mario Zagalo, on Faisal Al Dakhil 05

issue

F EAT U R ES

WARM-UP 03

29 2016

Troy

Faisal Al Shawa offers tips on how to stay healthy during the winter season 35

02

University Athletics

AUM win the UAAK men’s football league and the women’s basketball league 36

A walk through Ali Al Khorafi’s introduction to the equestrian sports, what makes him the most decorated horseback rider in Kuwait, and a selection of his achievements in 2016.

Highlight

The Event

Spark Marathon, Kuwait’s most anticipated charity race of the year 37

The Gym

A recap of Flare’s successful 2016

NEWS

K U WA I T W I N S G C C W H E E LC H A I R BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP December 25, 2016 The Kuwaiti team has won the 8th GCC Wheelchair Basketball Championship in a row, after beating Saudi Arabia 62-56 in the final. The winners were honored in Abu Dhabi following the match between UAE and Bahrain for third and fourth place.

Saudi Arabia dominated the day’s game during the beginning, but the Kuwaiti players managed to outperform them in the second half, continuing to raise their points until the end of the match.

While there were a number of counter

Ghazi Gaffaf | Kuna

attacks made by both teams, Kuwait stayed ahead of their rivals towards the latter half of the match and won the game.

Following the win, Shafi Al-Hajri, president of Kuwait Disabled Sport Club, celebrated the Kuwaiti players’ accomplishment, having maintained an impressive streak of victories throughout the competition.

Kuwait has won the competition for the past 8 years in a row. He told KUNA that the Kuwaiti players’ performance was brilliant, and despite the high level of competition and the noticeable development of the competing teams, Kuwait was able to achieve this success due to the team’s experience and ability to work together.

Fahad Abdullah, a member of the Kuwait’s national team administration told KUNA that “the players won the tournament,

03

thanks to our excellent training sessions and the team’s determination to snatch the championship and return home with the trophy.”

In addition, Ahmad Al-Shatti, the assistant coach, praised the team’s ability to apply the coach’s tactics and instructions, all of which helped them win the match and overall competition. He also stressed the importance of the team’s training camp in Turkey in preparing the group for the tournament and achieving their goals.

Abdul-Elah Al- Mergen, head of the Saudi delegation, congratulated the Kuwait national team on winning the tournament and defending the title for the past 8 years.

SOME HISTORY

Mario Zagalo Kuwait National Team Manager, 1976-1978 “[Faisal Al Dakhil] is a very talented player and has given a lot to Kuwaiti football. He’s earned the love and respect of the people because of his outstanding performances and his moral character.”

Mario Zagalo on Faisal Al Dakhil who played on the World All Star team for a charity match against UNICEF during 1982. Al Dakheel, and Algerian Lakhdar Belloumi, were the first Arab football players to participate in an international charity match.

Bob Thomas | Getty Images

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www.almrsal.com

OF THE YEAR

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KUWAIT CLUB WINS THE SUPER CUP The players and administration of Kuwait Club celebrate winning the 2016 football Super Cup for the third time in history. The full-time score after extra time was 2-2, with Kuwait Club beating Al Qadsia 3-2 in penalties. Abdullah Al Buraiki and Fahad Al Hajeri scored both goals for Al Kuwait Club in the 56th and 62nd minute of the match. Courtesy of KUNA

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OF THE YEAR

FEHAID AL DEEHANI Gold medallist Fehaid Aldeehani, an independent athlete, celebrates during the men’s double trap final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Shooting Centre in Rio de Janeiro on August 10, 2016.

Pascal Guyot | AFP | Getty Images

AL-ROUDHAN TOURNAMENT Speaker of the National Assembly, Marzouq Ali Al Ghanim, shakes hands with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.H. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, at the friendly futsal match between members of parliament and government officials in the annual Al Roudhan Ramadan Tournament.

Courtesy Al Jarida Newspaper

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BATTLE OF THE EAST The two-day, all-inclusive fitness festival combined the infamous Super Team Cup, Athlete Games, and the Saracen Race into one exciting, adrenaline-heavy weekend. While the Battle is hosted in Kuwait, it attracts athletes from all over the Middle East and North Africa, in addition to others from Europe and the United States. The competition saw team Innerfight from Dubai dominate both the men and women’s team category. Meanwhile, Khaled Al Jarallah won the individuals’ males category and Nuha Al Marri, from the UAE, won first place in the individuals’ females category.

Courtesy of Battle of the East Instagram

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OF THE YEAR

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“When we mature

SHAKER AL KAZEMI

and move beyond our differences, only then will we have a sports sector in Kuwait.”

Shaker Al Kazemi competing in Qatar’s International Show Jumping Competition that started on the 21st of December, 2016. The competition had 170 riders representing 12 nations, and lasted for three days. The Kuwaiti show jumper won the gold medal in the 130-135 height class clocking 64.80 seconds.

Courtesy of Al Rai Media Group

#I_am_attending_the_sports_ congressional_session ABDULAZIZ AL SHATTI Bader Al Nabhan

Abdulaziz Al Shatti finishes his qualifying round of 64 versus Redli Andras of Hungary at the Rio Summer Olympics 2016. Al Shatti lost his early lead over Redli, ending the match 13-14 for the European Champions.

Earlier in the year, Al Shatti won several local and regional gold medals before qualifying for the Olympics for the first time in his career.

@balnabhan 20/9/2016 4:06pm

Courtesy of Al Rai Media

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OF THE YEAR

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THE OLYMPIC ISSUE The Olympic flag is raised at the awards ceremony at the Rio Olympics 2016 after Fehaid Al Deehani received the gold medal in the Double Trap Final.

As a result of the sports ban on Kuwait, all Kuwaiti athletes competed under the Olympic flag as Independent Olympic Athletes.

Associated Press

“We have said it before …

ABDULAZIZ AL MANDEEL

when one flag is absent others will emerge.”

Abdulaziz Al Mandeel celebrating just moments after crossing the finish line of the 60-meter hurdles race at the Asian Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar 2016. He won the gold medal for 60-meter hurdles, smashing Kuwait’s record at the Asian Indoor Championships with a record of 7.60 seconds.

#fehaid_aldeehani #abdullah_altorgi

Karim Jaafar | Getty Images

Humood Al Deahany @H_aldeahany 13/8/2016 2:12pm

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OF THE YEAR

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NAJLA AL JERAIWI Najla Al Jeraiwi competes in the UCI 2016 Road World Championships on October, 11th in Doha, Qatar. She participated in the Women Elite Individual Time Trial and finished 28.9km in 46 minutes and 53 seconds. Najla finished ahead of her sister Nada Al Jeraiwi who finished 28.9km in 51 minutes and 41 seconds. Courtesy of Najla Al Jeraiwi

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OF THE YEAR

ABDULLAH AL RASHIDI Abdullah Al Rashidi takes a moment after winning bronze in the Men’s Skeet Finals to be thankful for his achievement on Day 8 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Shooting Center on August 13, 2016.

Hassan Ammar | Associated Press

AHMAD AL MUTAIRI Ahmad Al Mutairi of Kuwait competes in the men’s 100 meter T33 final at Olympic Stadium during day 3 of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on September 10, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Mathew Stockman | Getty Images

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10

OF THE YEAR

YOUSEF AL ABDULRAZZAQ Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq of Kuwait celebrates winning the Runabout GP1 final during the Aquabike Class Pro Circuit World Championships - Grand Prix of Sharjah at Khalid Lagoon on December 21, 2016 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Francois Nel | Getty Images

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“It was an incredible week in Rio and for Faye to finish it off

the way she did was awesome. Best time (Kuwaiti record), heat win, a huge smile and her family ecstatic in the stands all at the Olympics, you can’t ask for more than that!”

- Steve Kuster

Faye Al Sultan’s coach at Williams College

BADER AL MUTAWA Al Qadsia and Kuwait’s national team star, Bader Al Mutawa, reached a new hallmark in his career scoring his 100th goal for the club. Bader is ranked 7th in the all-time top scorers of the Kuwaiti league. He scored his 100th goal in the 88th minute of the match against Al Kazma club in the 22nd round of the league. Courtesy of Koora.com

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OF THE YEAR

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SARAH AL HAWWAL Sarah Al Hawwal competing in the 6th Asian Shotgun Championship held in Abu Dhabi. She won the gold medal in the trap competition on the 3rd of November 2016. In a statement to KUNA, Sarah expressed her pleasure in winning the gold medal beating shooters from Lebanon and India. Courtasy of Perazzi

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FAYE DAY

FAY E D AY Recapping 2016 and plans for the upcoming year Faye Al Sultan talks to Fourteen

Left: Adnan Kamal

22

2016

in

3

words

The first would be “gratifying,” for sure.

I got to graduate from college and I’m very proud of that because academics play a big role in my life - finishing my undergraduate degree was a big moment for me.

The second word I would choose is “surprising.” At the beginning of the year, I was injured and didn’t have a good end to my swimming season at college, but then at Rio 2016, I was so happy with my performance. My coach always tells me I’m too hard on myself and I am never happy with my performances, so to be happy with my performance in Rio was surprising.

My third word would be “transitional,” because I am transitioning from my college life to post-college life and figuring out what’s ahead. We have always had a structure and a path in our lives that would lead us, after middle school, you would go to high-school and then on to college, and now that I’ve finished all those stages, I have to figure out what’s next.

Person

of the

Year

If I were to choose a person of the year for 2016 it would be Michelle Obama - she is very inspiring and was able to expand the role of the first lady. She has a fitness campaign in America called “Let’s Move!” that aims to reduce childhood obesity and healthy living by getting kids active, something that I would personally love to do here in Kuwait. She is definitely one of my role models.

A

moment in

2016

2016 has been a momentous year for me, but if there was one moment in 2016 that I would go back to and relive or change, it would be my race in Rio because it was an incredible moment in my life. I would also like to go back to the race because I messed up my breathing routine and my coach wasn’t happy.

Before the Olympics, my coach and I were trying a new breathing technique where I would take back to back breaths in the middle of the race which would allow me to pump more oxygen into my lungs and have more energy towards the end. I got so excited during the race that I messed it up and completely forget.

Adnan Kamal

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“I’ m

m o r e i n t e r e s t e d i n w o m e n ’ s r i g h t s , s p o r t s , c o n s u lt i n g , e c o n o m i c s . i f

w e r e to m a j o r i n s o m e t h i n g e l s e ,

I

I

w o u l d h av e c h o s e n to d o u b l e m a j o r i n

e c o n o m i c s a s w e l l a s p s yc h o lo g y , o r m ay b e e v e n g i v e a r t h i s to r y a t r y .”

My coach was so confused and he told me “the one thing you had to do was breathe right.”

The moment that I would like to relive is the day my friends titled “Faye Day” for my birthday celebrations. They started it off with a workout class (of course) then they took me to this Italian restaurant where the chef taught us how to make different kinds of pasta - after I graduated, I wanted to move to Florence to learn how to make pasta and study art history, but since I didn’t do that, they brought Florence to me. My birthday cake had gumball machines and candy on it! I must admit I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Later that night, I went to a Mentor Arabia Gala on the protection of youth from the dangers of drugs.

Adnan Kamal

That day was the perfect combination of everything that I love to do.

Studying College

at

Williams

Williams, one of the best liberal arts schools in America, is in a small college town in Massachusetts. Whenever people hear that it’s in Massachusetts they think “oh Boston, that’s so cool!” but we are actually a four-hour drive away from Boston. The college has around 500 students in each class, so we were roughly 2000 students in all.

I graduated from Williams College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Geosciences. I enjoyed my 4 years at Williams even though my major didn’t really match my interests. I’m more interested in wom-

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en’s rights, sports, consulting, economics, and if I were to major in something else, I would have chosen to double major in economics and psychology, or maybe even give art history a try. That was the beauty of going to a Liberal Arts college, though, they try to create wellrounded students so I got a taste of so many different fields. For example, I was able to branch out from my geosciences courses and take psychology, law, and oceanography classes; I wasn’t limited by my major at all. What’s really special about Williams College is that you get to meet so many unique people that I wouldn’t have had the luxury to meet anywhere else.

Swimming College

at

Williams

personal accomplishments at Williams, one of my proudest achievements is that I currently hold the school’s record for the 50m freestyle.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for my coach Steve Kuster because through him, I was able to learn and develop a lot as a swimmer. He has an outstanding ability to take care of every swimmer on the team and has fostered a great atmosphere that developed a strong sisterhood amongst the team.

Changing Sports

in

K u wa i t

If I were to change one thing in sports in Kuwait … I believe that Kuwait has a lot of potential and we have so many talented athletes in a variety of sports. I would love to see Kuwait’s wealth reflected in athletics by building more, and better, sporting facilities to support local talents. My ultimate goal and a dream come true would be opening a sports complex for women that would be equipped for all sports.

Plans

for

2017

I personally have a sense of responsibility to take advantage of the current platform that I have to promote sports in Kuwait.

Although initially, I was planning on promoting female sports and increasing female participation in sports, I realized that if I shift my focus to children then you can target both genders and at the end of the day, those kids are the future generation.

“...I

realized

t h at i f

I

shift my

f o c u s to c h i l d r e n t h e n yo u c a n ta rg e t b ot h g e n d e r s , a n d at the end of the d ay , t h o s e k i d s are the future g e n e r at i o n .”

Adnan Kamal

The best thing about Williams College is that I got to pursue both my academic and athletic endeavors at the same time, especially at a stage when I was not ready to give up on one or the other. Growing up in Kuwait I swam with the Elite Swim Team and although it’s an amazing team, all the female swimmers were much younger than I was. At Williams, it was a different dynamic because the girls were all my age.

During my freshman year, we lost to our historical rivals, Amherst College, and Williams hasn’t lost to them for a significant number of years. After that, we managed to beat them for the next 3 years and were able to restore Williams’ upper hand over Amherst. That was a great experience for our team. As for my

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At the moment, I am working on a campaign with the Ministry of Youth that will promote an active lifestyle for children because so many people live sedentary lives. I would like to change that by promoting sports and an active lifestyle for everyone. Hopefully, it will be able to reach many families and change people’s lives.

In terms of swimming, I really want to give back and would like to transition into the coaching side. I would love to join the elite swim team and coach a girls’ team and serve as a mentor to the girls. My favorite part of swimming was the competitions but we didn’t have a lot of those growing up, I’d like to have more swimming competitions for girls.

The SilverAir Sock ENGINEERED F O R P E RF O RMA NCE DESIGNE D W ITH S O U L

YATHL ETICS.COM 10

TROY

TROY NO ORDINARY MAN

An editorial on Kuwait’s best showjumper Ali Al Khorafi

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ot everyone can hear the silent language between a horse and rider, not everyone can trust their life with a 1200-pound animal, and not everyone has the guts, sweat, and dedication needed to be a part of this world -- but equestrians are no ordinary people and horses are no ordinary animals. Kuwait’s Ali Al Khorafi is one of the Arab World’s most prestigious horseback riders and show

Reham Bastaki

jumpers. His many achievements have crowned him the leader of the equestrian world. Al Khorafi is one of the most accomplished Kuwaiti athletes of the year, winning over a dozen gold medals in both local and international competitions.

Where It Began

His family’s passion for horseback riding first introduced him to the world of equestrian sports. In 1996 they established the first private equestrian club,

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Kuwait Riding Center. KRC has created and fostered outstanding riders, such as Al Khorafi, since its opening. Ali used to watch his uncles ride horses and compete, inspiring him to become a horseback rider just like them. With his family’s encouragement, he started training in 1997 and a year later, competed in the Junior Class at Kuwait’s National Equestrian Competition. His first international competition for under 17s took place in Lebanon in 2002. He went on to compete in the same category in France and won first place.

No

o r d i na ry m a n

Ali Al Khorafi doesn’t take breaks or timeouts. There is no offseason for him, and you’ll never find him on the bench. He doesn’t postpone his practices because of bad weather, he doesn’t quit on account of an injury. His sport is about silent communication, counting strides, and looking good doing it. It is no easy task being on an animal that weighs 10 times as much as you, with a mind of its own, riding full speed towards a solid, stationary object that may stand taller than you, but for Ali, it’s just a day’s work.

Competitions

wo n

Here are some of Ali’s achievements in the year 2016:

Reham Bastaki

3 r d J a n ua ry 2 0 1 6

Ali Al Khorafi finished first in the Al Rayyan International Show jumping Competition in Doha, Qatar. Ali championed the 135cm height class on his horse “Ungarin.”

2 2 n d F e b rua ry 2 0 1 6

Al Khorafi is the champion of the “Hala February” horseback riding competition in the 140cm height class, riding “Cheril,” and in the 120cm height class, Ali came in 1st place with his horse “Ulaan”.

11th March 2016

Al Khorafi won 2 gold medals at the Doha Show Jumping Competition. Ali won his first medal on the first day of competition riding “Ungarin” in the 120cm

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Ali Al Khorafi is one of the Arab World’s most prestigious horseback riders... His many achievements have crowned him the leader of the equestrian world.

References: Student Talk 161, Al Rai Media Group, The Peninsula Qatar

Al Khorafi is one of the most accomplished Kuwaiti athletes of the year, winning over a dozen gold medals in both local and international competitions. height class. His second medal of the competition was in the 135cm height class riding “Cheril” in an impressive 29.5 seconds, beating the Qatari riders Khaled Attiyah and Saeed Al Qadhi, who finished in second and third place.

2 9 t h J u ly 2 0 1 6

Al Khorafi wins gold and silver in the Dutch international show jumping competition “Numen”. The Kuwaiti show jumper won the gold medal in the 125cm height class, beating riders from Europe, America, Brazil, Mexico, and the Arab world. Al Khorafi broke the tournament’s record in 125cm, previously held by the Dutch rider Bim Molder, and finished in

Reham Bastaki

an outstanding 24.22 seconds. He also won a silver medal the next day, finishing second to the Dutch rider Lisa Bongers.

the 145cm height class, losing to the German rider Garlot Mertins and the Dutch rider Claudia Ferbert.

13th September 2016

25rd December 2016

Ali Al Khorafi receives two gold medals and one bronze in the Kohlenberg International Horseback Riding Competition in Holland. The gold medalist finished first in the competition in the 130cm height class riding “Ungarin,” and beating the Dutch rider Nicholas Chris and the American Rider Whitney Sorensen.

He won his second gold medal on the second day of the tournament in the same height class. In the final day of the tournament, Ali won a bronze medal in

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Ali Al Khorafi produced a flawless Ali Al Khorafi produced a flawless routine with his reliable mare “Cheril,” to win the Mini Grand-Prix on the 3rd day of the Qatar International Show Jumping Championship 2016. “Cheril” clocked a winning 44.95 seconds, beating the Jordanian rider Ibrahim Basharat and the Russian rider Vladimir Tuganov.

THE MOMENT

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IIHF Division I Champions Kuwait’s national ice hockey team celebrates winning the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Challenge Cup of Asia (Division 1) on April 24th, 2015. Kuwait dominated the tournament and finished top of the league undefeated, beating Kyrgyzstan in their final game of the league 9-3.

Courtesy of Perfect Fit

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HIGHLIGHT

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HOW TO FIGHT THE WINTER SNIFFLES faisal al shawa the founder of believe nutrition

W

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.

REDUCE STRESS

When we face stress or anxiety, the stress hormone, cortisol, increases. Stress may

Courtesy of Joyous Health

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!

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.

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.

INCREASE SLEEP

Similar to stress, a lack of sleep can alter hormone levels within the body – more so cortisol levels. The less hours of sleep you get, the more cortisol is increased within the body and the weaker your immune system gets. Studies show that

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poor sleep is also coupled with poor food choices. Eating unhealthily and not sleeping enough is only a call for trouble.

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.

UAAK

CHAMPIONE! AUM DO THE DOUBLE IN THE UAAK

T

HE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF THE MIDDLE EAST (AUM) did the double, winning the University Athletics Association of Kuwait (UAAK) men’s Football league and the women’s basketball league The AUM men’s football team finished first, defeating Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) in the UAAK final 3-0, in a one-sided fixture.

The league kicked off its first round in October and went on for a month and three weeks, with the majority of the matches held at the AUM football field.

Courtesy of The American University of the Middle East

The UAAK is made up of six private universities: AUM, GUST, American College of the Middle East (ACM), American University of Kuwait (AUK), Australian College of Kuwfait (ACK), and Arab Open University (AOU).

healthy competition for students, helping them build a healthy life centered around exercise, attentiveness, and discipline, all invaluable skills that students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

AUM was also crowned champions of the UAAK women’s basketball league after defeating AUK in the final. In a nerve-wracking final, AUM found themselves lifting the trophy at the end of the match having beaten AUK 26-21. Nazir El Diry, the Sports Center Manager at AUM, congratulated the women on winning the league and praised their resilience and positive spirit throughout the season. He added that the UAAK provides

Both the men’s football team and women’s basketball team won all of their matches for the season. Congratulations to AUM’s students, staff, and faculty on an impressive season!

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References: Al Jareeda Newspaper

THE EVENT

Spark Marathon T H E L A R G E S T A N D M O S T A N T I C I PAT E D C H A R I T Y R A C E O F T H E Y E A R

S

PARK Marathon is the largest and most anticipated charity race event of the year. Last year, the marathon had over 2000 participants from over 50 nationalities. Organized by Spark Athletic Centre, the Spark Marathon is set to take place on January 14 at Marina Crescent, with the goal of integrating sports and fitness into the fabric of Kuwaiti society.

Don’t miss out on the biggest marathon of the year! Spark has an exciting program of activities that will continue to run over a three-day period, starting from January 12 to 14. The race will be followed by a fun filled event with raffles and prizes.

Full Marathon 42km: 1st Mukhlid Al Otaibi (M) 1st Abigail Bartholomew (W) The Half Marathon 21km: 1st Ahmed Bakry (M) 1st Wendolyn Ulrich (W)

The one-day race is open to the participation of families and people from all ages and will feature four categories. It will include a five-km run, 10-km run, 21-km run, and 42-km run.

Courtesy of sparkmarathon.com

LAST YEAR:

The 10km Race:

For more details about SPARK Marathon, please visit: www.sparkmarathon.com

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1st Youssef Rochdi (M) 1st Maryam Al Failakawy (W)

THE GYM

FLARE FITNESS Reaching New Heights - In the words of Salma Al Jassem and Ghazi Al Khudhari

F

lare’s motto, “eat clean and workout dirty,” is inspired by their mission to promote healthy living and elevate fitness in Kuwait. With their unique method of building an active community motivated by working out and exercising, Flare has been able to reach new heights during 2016. From children to teenagers, amateurs and even professional athletes, their creative programs have been successful in reaching and inspiring a wide range of participants.

Serving more customers

The opening of their cutting edge female gym at Crystal Tower is one of

Courtesy of Flare Fitness

Flare’s proudest accomplishments of this past year. Due to popular demand, Flare is now able to cater to all of the female athletes in Kuwait looking for a great community and intense workouts. In just 3 classes, participants will learn all fundamentals needed to join the classes of their choosing. The next level up is Crossfit, but if that’s not for you, the gym also offers Yoga and TRX (a body weight resistance program utilizing various levels of exercise bands).

Kickboxing will also be coming to Flare Crystal Tower soon as well!

for “After School,” a winter camp for children that promotes healthy living through fitness classes and nutrition sessions, Flare has proved its commitment to educating children on the importance of exercise and leading healthy lives. Flare has gone even further in their promotion of healthy lifestyles through co-leading Boubyan Bank’s “Bdainah 3,” a program geared towards participants 14-17 years old and educates them on functional movements in their daily lives.

Flare for children

New programs

In addition to their adult programs, Flare Fitness has been able to provide an eventful and educational year for children as well. As a location partner

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Flare has launched their very own “Flare Running Club,” lead by coach Feras Al Eissa and none other than Kuwait’s triathlon champion coach

Courtesy of Flare Fitness

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Abdulaziz Al Rashed. The Running Club started as an initiative to train runners for NBK’s annual walkathon, but its success has carried this energetic group beyond the walkathon and has turned into a weekly affair. The Flare Running Club meets every Monday and Wednesday from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

Sports Events and Competitions

Leaving a mark on 2016, Flare has become one of the most prominent and reliable contributors to the sports scene in Kuwait. Flare has been more than just financial and moral supporters of healthy lifestyle programs, they have proven their value and influence as athletic sponsors of almost any competition, race, and sporting event one may find across Kuwait. As a community or athletic sponsor, Flare has been a part of the NBK Walkathon, Gulf Bank’s 642 Marathon, GulfRun, Run Bike Run, Battle of Heroes (Bahrain) and Elfit

Courtesy of Flare Fitness

(Cairo), one of the biggest CrossFit competitions in the Arab world.

In addition to sponsoring events, Flare has organized their own successful competitions, witnessing record levels of participants, volunteers, and crowds. Flare organized a Crossfit competition for the students of the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), an event that has become one of the most anticipated events of the year for college students. Last but certainly not least, “The Heat,” a competition organized at the International Fairgrounds saw an impressive turnout of participants and teams from over 15 nationalities.

Charity Events

As an active and responsible member of the community, Flare believes that their advocacy of healthy of lifestyles goes beyond the gym and involves cancer awareness and education, specifically focusing prostate and breast.

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Their landmark event, “Snatch for a Cause,” gathered club members and community partners on several occasions for an eventful night filled with workouts dedicated to different charities and causes. Their cancer awareness programs provide a chance to increase awareness while promoting participation.

All in all, Flare Fitness has had an outstanding year, pushing the limits of fitness and becoming one of the most recognizable names in Kuwaiti sports.

They have left nothing behind in 2016 - opening a new gym exclusively for women, organizing, sponsoring and competing in a multitude of sporting competitions, both locally and regionally, all in addition to their charity work.

Whether you are a college student signing up for next year’s Crossfit Challenge or an avid runner wanting to join the Running Club, expect to see even more from Flare throughout 2017!

RI A B

O IC F

LD I W

FEEI

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~ @WILD.KWT

coming soon..

#FINDtheWILD 10