Further strengthening its commitment to creating the ideal work environment, Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” successfully held its first internal Padel Tournament. It was well received by its employees who enthusiastically participated in the fun-filled competitions. The tournament comes as part of Markaz’s efforts to promote staff wellness and encourage sports activities by inspiring healthy lifestyle choices among employees and improving engagement and collaboration among them.
The exciting tournament held at Terra Rooftop Courts in Shuwaikh saw 16 teams composed of Markaz employees competing against each other. The event also turned into a true showcase of the company’s skilled sports talent pool. Beating their opponents, two teams reached the finals as cheerful spectators motivated them. The (ACL) team secured a hard-fought win in the finals.
The tournament forms part of a series of internal events Markaz held this year after the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way of in-person gatherings and activities over the past two years. With people being its biggest asset, Markaz places special importance on continuously investing, not only in their professional growth, but also in their personal development by creating teambuilding opportunities for them to come together in a casual and friendly setting. Markaz chose padel as it is easy to learn, suitable for all ages and engages a diverse audience. Being played on enclosed courts roughly three-quarters the size of a tennis court, the racket game is increasingly popular among various sports enthusiasts and is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
As well as promoting sports and physical activities internally, Markaz has supported Kuwait’s Kuwaiti jet ski champion Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq as the ‘Gold Sponsor’ in the Aquabike World Championship 2021, as part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility initiatives to build human capabilities and promote youth development in the country. In addition, Markaz continues to support AC Milan soccer academy in Kuwait, with the aim to improve the youths’ skills in sports in general and football specifically. Markaz's corporate social responsibility strategy is founded on three pillars, namely, building human capacity, aligning its business environment with the principles of sustainable development, and promoting good governance in the business environment.