Tashkent, Uzbekistan, August 4, 2023: Kuwaiti Abdullah Al-Zidan has crossed the divide, from ice hockey player to coach - and is loving every minute of it.
Just five months ago, Abdullah was turning out in defence for the Kuwait men’s national ice hockey team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship Division IV tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This week he is in Tashkent as the Kuwaiti coach at the OCA/IIHF Under-16 Asian Ice Hockey Youth Camp.
“It is wonderful to be able to be still involved in a sport I have loved ever since I was a small kid. I have played ice hockey since 1992, for over 30 years, and now I start a new chapter in my life and I’m so happy to be here,” says the 45-year-old assistant coach of the Kuwait women’s national team.
In March, Abdullah was in the thick of the action at the World Championships playing against the Philippines, Indonesia and hosts Mongolia. His farewell tournament, having represented Kuwait for almost 25 years, had its moments, especially when he scored the first goal in a 4-2 win over Indonesia. Kuwait finished third in the competition avoiding relegation to Division V.
“This is the first time I’m taking part in a camp like this as a coach. It is a great opportunity and I must congratulate the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Ice Hockey Federation for putting this on. It is a perfect camp, as we get to share our experiences with other coaches and I’m learning new information and skills which I can put to good use back home,” says Abdullah.
An engineer with the Ministry of Telecommunication in Kuwait, Abdullah hopes the lines of communication between the world governing body, IIHF, and his country will remain open for the betterment of the sport.
“I hope with the help of the IIHF, the standards of players, game officials and coaches in the Gulf nations will improve. In this respect, coming to a camp like this is just wonderful,” Abdullah noted.
