Media role in boosting sports hailed

Manama

First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport and President of the Bahrain Athletics Association Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa has affirmed the crucial role played by the media in boosting the youth and sport movement in the kingdom.

In a meeting with Information Affairs Minister Isa bin Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi, he reviewed areas of cooperation in supporting sports, especially the mixed martial art (MMA), the interest of specialised clubs in it and the organisation of local competitions.

Shaikh Khalid stressed the need to provide media support for the game so as to promote it. He noted that such a sport had enhanced the kingdom’s status in the global sporting map, citing the recent participation of the Khalid bin Hamad MMA Team (KHK MMA Team) in the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF)’s 2015 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA, held in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA).

Shaikh Khalid highlighted the media role played by the Information Affairs Ministry and the Information Affairs Authority (IAA) in efficiently covering various sporting events.

He stressed that the Ministry’s development plans had brought about a giant leap in the media field. The Information Minister affirmed the key role played by all national media outlets in supporting the youth and sport movement in the kingdom.

He lauded the honourable sports achievements attained by the kingdom at the GCC, Arab, Asian and international levels thanks to the directives of the HM the King’s Representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa in this regard.

The Information Affairs Minister also praised Shaikh Khalid’s support for the MMA sport, as well media, cultural and horse-racing activities. He hailed his key role in strengthening the deep-rooted Bahraini-Saudi relations through the Khalid bin Hamad Swimming Challenge, whose proceeds were allocated to cancer patients.