The Kuwait Shooting Federation and the Japanese Shooting Federation have formalized a new partnership through the signing of a joint sports cooperation protocol. The agreement was finalized during the 20th Asian Games, held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and aims to foster closer technical and administrative collaboration between the two federations.
The cooperation protocol was established following a request from the Japanese side, led by Seiko Hashimoto, President of the Japanese Shooting Federation and the Japanese Olympic Committee, seeking to leverage Kuwait’s expertise in shooting sports. According to Duaij Khalaf Al-Otaibi, President of both the Kuwait Shooting Federation and the Arab Shooting Federation, the protocol will focus on several key areas, including the exchange of knowledge to nurture athletic talent, organizing joint training camps, and promoting technical development for shooters through hosting delegations and national teams at international events in Kuwait.
This announcement came during a visit by the Japanese ambassador to Kuwait, who extended congratulations to Kuwaiti shooters for their notable performance at the Asian Games. Kuwait’s shooting team delivered historic results at the event, particularly in trap shooting disciplines, securing four medals—two gold and two bronze.
Khaled Al-Mudaf won an individual gold medal with a record-setting performance under challenging, rainy conditions, hitting 26 targets, which established a new Asian Games record. Al-Mudaf, alongside teammates Talal Al-Rashidi and Abdulrahman Al-Fayhan, also contributed to Kuwait’s gold medal in the team trap event, where they outperformed the squad from Qatar by hitting a total of 355 targets.
In the women’s division, Kuwait marked a milestone by earning two bronze medals. Hajar Abdulmalik achieved a historic bronze in the individual trap event with 21 hits—the first-ever Asian Games women’s individual medal for Kuwait in this discipline. Abdulmalik, together with Sara Al-Hawwal and Shahad Al-Hawwal, also secured a bronze medal in the women’s team trap event, collectively hitting 325 targets.
The cooperation agreement reflects shared ambitions to elevate shooting sports in both countries through mutual support and expertise exchange, building on Kuwait’s recent successes and Japan’s interest in advancing its own competitive standing.