Kuwait at Asian Games 2026: Al-Rashidi’s Shooting Gallery
Kuwait heads to Aichi-Nagoya looking to build on a steady Hangzhou 2023 showing, anchored by one of the Asian Games’ most remarkable veteran stories.
Kuwait’s Asian Games Track Record
Kuwait nearly doubled its medal haul between 2018 and 2023, with shooting, weightlifting, and judo all contributing golds in Hangzhou. Kuwait sits 19th on the Asian Games all-time medal table with 102 total medals (29G-34S-39B).
| Edition | Rank | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Jakarta-Palembang | 21st | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2022/23 Hangzhou | 23rd | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
Source: Kuwait at the 2018 Asian Games and Kuwait at the 2022 Asian Games, Wikipedia.
Kuwait’s Strongest Sports
Shooting is Kuwait’s marquee discipline, carried for two decades by skeet legend Abdullah Al-Rashidi — a two-time Olympic bronze medalist (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), three-time world champion, and four-time Asian Games gold medalist, including a perfect 60/60 score at Hangzhou 2023 to beat India’s Anant Jeet Singh Naruka. At 63 years old heading into 2026, Al-Rashidi remains Kuwait’s single biggest medal hope. Weightlifting and judo also delivered golds in Hangzhou, though neither has the multi-Games depth that shooting does. Kuwait has also historically fielded competitive teams in handball, football, and equestrian sports.
Kuwait’s Official Squads by Sport
Roster news for Kuwait’s 2026 delegation is still thin. Here is everything verifiably reported as of now, organized by how solid the sourcing is.
Confirmed via official federation/media sources
| Sport | Key Named Athletes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| No individually named 2026 Kuwait athletes have been officially confirmed yet. | ||
Reported but not yet formally finalized
| Sport | Notes |
|---|---|
| Handball (Men) | National team training in Slovenia (7 friendlies) under Icelandic head coach Aron Kristjansson ahead of the Games; reportedly drawn against Iran in the group stage. No individual player names released yet. |
Team confirmed, no roster yet / not found
| Sports |
|---|
| Shooting, Judo, Weightlifting, Football, Basketball, Equestrian, Athletics |
Storylines to Watch
Al-Rashidi chases a fifth gold: now in his 60s, Abdullah Al-Rashidi will look to add to his four Asian Games shooting golds — after Hangzhou he suggested he had “time to shoot the next two Olympics,” hinting he isn’t done yet.
Handball’s European buildup: Kuwait’s men’s team is building momentum with an intensive training block in Slovenia and a tough opening draw against Iran.
Governance history looms: Kuwait’s National Olympic Committee has been suspended and reinstated by the IOC multiple times over the past decade due to government interference in sports governance, which has periodically disrupted the country’s Asian Games buildup.