Gulf nations Hungary for success

At the ongoing curling competition in Harbin, countries from the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iran have to face their neighboring nations in the round-robin matches, and things can sometimes get hot on the ice, as they aggressively attempt to knock their opponents' stones out of the house.

However, off the sheet, they are all friends who train and practice together under the guidance of coach Lajos Belleli.

Just two months ago, curlers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran traveled to the Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena in Doha, Qatar, a rink not originally designed for curling but for ice hockey, to participate in a curling training camp.

The camp featured intensive training sessions, lively competitions and educational workshops aimed at providing valuable insights into the sport's rules and regulations. "The camp was successful, everybody learned a lot and had fun," said Belleli, a former Hungarian curler now coaching the Qatari curling team.

Although Qatar has yet to establish a standard curling rink or assemble a team of professional curlers, as the first Middle Eastern country to join the World Curling Federation in 2014, it has taken on the responsibility of promoting the niche winter sport in the region.

"We are passionate about curling, and are more than happy to help curlers around the region," said Belleli.

Fatema Abdulateef, 39, and Saud Alkandari, 32, were the only two curlers sent by Kuwait to Harbin to participate in the mixed doubles.