The Kuwaiti delegation withdrew from the opening ceremony of the 2023 Gulf Arab Cup “Khaliji 25” tonight, Friday, noting that the Kuwaiti delegation was one of the last delegations to arrive at the stadium in Basra in Iraq. The security chaos was revealed to have occurred after a Kuwaiti delegation arrived at the stadium in Basra, the VIP area, when several Iraqi fans stormed into the stadium.
Although the security forces were unable to control the situation, the Kuwaiti mission announced its withdrawal, according to local Kuwaiti media.
The sources added that the mission was the last delegation to arrive at the Basra stadium in accordance with the organizing committee’s arrangements and canceled the ceremony for security reasons.
It is noteworthy that a Kuwaiti delegation headed by the representative of the Emir and the head of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, Sheikh Fahd Al-Nasser, arrived at the stadium, accompanied by the Minister of Sports of Iraq, Ahmed Al-Mubarki.
After the clashes, the sports minister suggested that the Kuwaiti delegation leave the stadium due to the lack of security.
The Kuwaiti delegation headed to the airport after withdrawing from the 25th Gulf Cup 2023 Gulf Cup to return to their residence in Kuwait.