Kuwaiti transplant team to participate in World Games in Canada

KUN0021 4 GEN 0264 KUWAIT /KUNA-QRD9 SPT-KUWAIT-GAMES-TRANSPLANT Kuwaiti transplant team to participate in World Games in Canada By Redha Sardar (with photos) KUWAIT, July 13 (KUNA) -- The Kuwaiti Transplant Team will participate in the 15th World Transplant Games to be held in London, Ontario in Canada between July 16-24, 2005. Kuwait Transplant Society (KTS) Secretary General Dr. Saleh Yaseen will head the delegation which will group Talal Al-Mutairi, Ahmad Redha, Abdulhadi Al-Ajmi and Meshal Al-Fadhli who will compete in the track and field as well as swimming competitions. Dr. Yassen told KUNA that the team hopes to better its medal tally of the last games held in France 2003, in which Al-Ajmi and Abdullah Al-Wazzan won the gold in the high jump and shooting respectively. Al-Mutairi won the bronze medal in 1500m running event. He added that Kuwait became the first Middle East country to achieve this victory since the games kicked off in Portsmouth, England, in 1978 and was also the first Arab country to participate in the games in 1997 in Australia. Dr. Yaseen pointed that more than 2000 athletes from more than 55 countries will take part in the games held every two years, adding that competitors can register in as many as five events. KTS has organized the first Middle East Transplant Games in February 2001 with the participation of 10 countries. Kuwait won 14 medals -- three gold, five silver, and six bronze. Kuwait also took part in the first Asian Transplant Games in Thailand in 2002, winning 13 medals -- six gold, three silver, and four bronze. (end) rs.aj KUNA 131203 Jul 05NNNN