Officials honour the award ceremony

Manama: Seventy six of Bahrain’s most prominent sports officials were honoured at the ceremony of Shaikh Isa bin Rashid Al Khalifa Award for Voluntary Work on Sunday.

This award is named after Shaikh Isa bin Rashid Al Khalifa, second vice-chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, and BOC honorary president, who is known as one of the founders of sports movement nationally, regionally and continentally.

Sports candidates with top regional, continental and international posts over the past years received special awards at Sofitel Hotel in Zallaq.

The awards ceremony was organised by the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) and the event patronised by HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman, and BOC President.

It was also attended by other top sports figures, including Supreme Council for Youth and Sports vice-chairman and Bahrain Athletics Association president HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Shaikh Isa bin Rashid Al Khalifa.

This function started with MBC Channel’s Arab famous sports programme presenter Mustafa Al Agha welcoming the attendees.

BOC general secretary Abdulrahman Askar, who was heading the Advisory Committee of the award, then delivered his speech, in which he congratulated Shaikh Nasser on being named as new Higher Commission for Financial Cooperation and Coordination president.

Later, Shaikh Nasser presented the awards to the candidates named for the evening. Honorees included West Asian Athletics Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, FIFA vice-president and AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, vice-president of Olympic Council of Asia for West Asia Shaikh Isa bin Rashid Al Khalifa and Arab Golf Federation president Shaikh Abdulla bin Salman Al Khalifa.