(MENAFN- Arab Times) KUWAIT CITY Sept 15 (Agencies): Chairman of the Kuwait Olympic Committee Sheikh Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said that the 17th Asian games tournament which will kick off in South Korea next Friday is a chance to enhance the level of expertise of Kuwaiti athletes. The Kuwaiti teams which will head to Incheon city on Tuesday have completed the preparations for the event aiming to achieve positive results said Sheikh Talal in a statement on Monday. The Committee has been preparing for the tournament for a long period of time in coordination with sports associations in the country he said noting that this is a chance for Kuwaiti athletes to compete with other elite Asian players especially the Japanese Korean and Chinese teams. The tournament which takes place once every four years is organized by the Kuwait-based Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) headed by Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said the Chairman. Sheikh Talal praised the support of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for all Kuwaiti Athletes. Kuwait will participate in 33 games for men and women including soccer handball volleyball beach volleyball basketball table tennis athletics boxing weightlifting karate tae kwon do judo wushu kung fu archery gymnastics fencing bowling rowing sailing water sports tennis squash cricket golf cycling triathlon and chivalry. This will be the 11th participation for Kuwait in this huge Asian tournament with the first participation was in 1974 in Tehran. The Incheon event will be Kuwait's second participation in South Korea after its first time in 1986 in Seoul.(end) fsa.ag KUNA 15/09/2014 10:35:29 Meanwhile the head coach of China's all-conquering men's table tennis team has warned Olympic and world singles champion Zhang Jike to knuckle down at the Asian Games or risk throwing away his chance to defend his gold medal at the Rio Games. Though the 26-year-old has been virtually untouchable in singles since his 2011 world title in Rotterdam his lacklustre performances in team events have been a source of frustration for long-serving coach Liu Guoliang. China won the world championships team event in Japan in May but Zhang was swept 3-0 by Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov in his rubber of the final and also had a surprise loss to Taiwan's Chen Chien-an at last year's World Team Classic in Guangzhou. Liu cautioned the Qingdao-born paddler the fastest winner of the 'grand slam' of Olympic world championship and world cup table tennis' titles against complacency and said his team mates were eyeing his place for the Rio singles. 'I gave him some reminders and even warnings about his position' Liu told local media. 'In the nearly two-year period to Rio the competition will be fierce. He really can't make have a mistake. '(World number two) Fan Zhendong and (number one) Xu Xin are also a chance (to win the grand slam) and I believe their ability now is the same as it was for when Zhang won his.' Liu said Zhang had been dogged by questions about his sense of team camaraderie and responsibility over the past two years and that 'the problems had not been fundamentally solved'. 'Some of his performances on court have been listless ... He has appeared like he doesn't care and has actually given me the feeling his heart's not in it. I felt that was obvious at the championships in Japan.' Boasting all of the men's top four in singles and six of the top seven in women's singles China are almost certain to dominate the Asian Games tournament at Incheon but Liu was adamant he would come down hard on any weak links. 'In the Asian Games team component (Zhang) can't make any mistake' he said. 'With every loss there's danger. By the time he feels that danger it might be too late for him.'
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