“You don’t have to wait for the right time to create your dream,” Balsam Alayoub tells me one Friday morning at the Keifan Sports Club after her fencing training session. “You just start.” Balsam’s encouragement is echoed by her sister, Lulu: “There are no obstacles if you don’t see them as obstacles.” They respond to my questions with calm, direct answers, alternating strikes and parries, back and forth with the swift timing of two fighters who have been training together for years. “You create your own chance.” They add, nearly in unison. My pen struggles to keep pace as I jot down one thought after another; thank heavens I remembered to bring my trusty digital voice recorder on this interview.

Balsam and Lulu began their training as teenagers in 1995, chosen by the only activities club for women in Kuwait to learn fencing. At the time, there were fourteen government sports clubs for men, the only women’s club was registered as a “social club,” and there Dalal Al Ghanim was influential in the start of their fencing career. She encouraged them to train and compete as champions and the following year the Ayoub sisters entered their first fencing tournament in Jordan. Shortly thereafter, they joined the Kuwait Club, one of the eight Kuwaiti-only fencing clubs. From there, as Balsam worded it, they “jumped into the world.” Determined to forge a path for future fencers, the pair trained relentlessly, refining their skills, adapting their lives to prepare for their next challenge. As their local and international recognition grew, so did their support in the way of affluent sponsorships, expert coaches and more competitions. 

This year, Lulu and Balsam spent their summer crossing swords and standing their ground in Amposta, Spain at a pre-Olympic training camp along with some of the world’s most decorated fencing champions. In August they traveled to Beijing to experience the 2008 Olympics from the sidelines of the fencing arena where they represented Kuwait’s champions, but were not able to complete in the games. Qualifying for the Olympics is divided into regions and earning a spot in the Asian region is extremely difficult, but this is only one of the logistical difficulties Lulu and Balsam encounter.

“We have everything we need in Kuwait to make true sports champions, but there is no strategy,” Balsam says and goes on to describe the Kuwaiti athlete as being a victim of their country. They may have the talent, the sponsorship money, the desire and determination, but there is no planned way for him, or her, to achieve their goals. Unfortunately, often those who make the decisions affecting their professional athlete careers are not the people whose sweat and blood has covered the mat. Many athletes have given up when it seems that their fate is out of their hands, and that’s when I begin to understand the sisters’ affirmation about creating their own chances. 
Learning from their comrades in Spain and Beijing, being a champion is more than just being the best and going home. Athletes have a responsibility to those who give their support to your goals and take their inspiration from your achievements.

This charge is very important to Lulu and Balsam. To give back to their community they have begun a number of projects that they hope will, one day, create the fencing champions who will surpass their triumphs. Sixteen kids attended the first Alayoub Cup tournament in 2006 and the following year, the participation has amplified to 16 sports clubs. This year, with new sponsors and more publicity than ever, the fencing tournament promises to be the biggest event yet. In addition to the Alayoub Cup, the duo is working fervently on the launch of a multi-national fencing club, due to open its doors in early 2009.

“There are many different nationalities in Kuwait, but we cannot be separated by nationality any more. This has disappeared from the world and it needs to disappear here too,” Balsam explains passionately. There seems to be genuine interest in the sport from all people of all races, ages, and their fencers club will welcome them all. Their focus, however, will remain with inspiring and training the future generation of Kuwaiti fencing athletes.

As we concluded our session, Lulu told me that they look forward to creating a sports society and fencers who are better than them. Whatever the future holds for the next female Kuwaiti champions, I am sure they will remain eternally grateful to the first.