Iraq’s Basra hosts West Asia athletics games with Kuwait partaking

The fifth West Asian Athletics Championship for men and women kicked off Wednesday in the Iraqi City of Basra, with the participations of 13 countries including Kuwait. The event, which is held at the Great Hall of the Trunk of the Palm stadium, will last until June 1, Iraq's Ministry of Youth and Sports said in a statement. The tournament was inaugurated by Iraqi Youth Minister Ahmad Al-Mubarqa, in the presence of President of the West Asian Athletics Association Sayyar Al Enezi, it added. The ministry provided support to make a successful edition of this tournament to be added to previous accomplishments that were organized by Iraq, the minister was quoted by the statement as saying. The tournament includes the host country, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, and Iran, in addition to Kuwait, which has 18 male and female athletes and eight trainers. Source: Kuwait News Agency