Proud of our champions and will continue supporting this sport: Shaikh Khalid

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved second place in the general standing of the national teams participating in the Europe Open MMA Championship after winning 9 medals, including 9 golds and 3 silvers in the event which was organized by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in the period between 16-20, August 2021 in Russia.

On this occasion, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of the General Sports Authority and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, escalated his sincere congratulations to HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs. 

His Highness said: “We are proud of our champions in the Open Europe MMA Championship, as this result reflects the capabilities and potential of our champions. They mirrored the real Bahraini desire and spirit to achieve this honorable result and raise our flag high in this major championship.”

His Highness added: “This accomplishment is an extension of the successes made in this sport. The result gives us extra motivation to continue providing the necessary support to our MMA to make more successes and top podiums,”

HH Shaikh Khalid urged everyone involved in the combat sports to double their efforts to achieve more successes, praising the enormous efforts being exerted by the Bahrain Combat Sports Council under the presidency of HH Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa to implement the policies that are in line with the vision designed by His Highness to continue developing the levels of the combat sports in Bahrain in order to be able to make honorable representation in various competitions. 

Moreover, His Highness hailed the tireless work being made by the Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation under the presidency of Mr Mohammed Ali Qambar to carry out the policies sketched by the Council through implementing programmes that aim to upgrade this game. 

From his side, HH Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa escalated his sincere congratulations to HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa on the achievement. 

His Highness said that this achievement reflects the development of the MMA sport in the Kingdom of Bahrain after making various successes regionally and internationally. His Highness praised the great performances showcased by the Bahraini champions, adding that the Bahrain National MMA team was up to the task and managed to raise the Kingdom's flag high. 

Meanwhile, Mr Mohammed Ali Qambar, congratulated HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and HH Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa on this achievement. He affirmed that this result confirms the strong presence of Bahrain in the MMA sport at the continental and international levels. 

It's worth noting that this was the second time for Bahrain to finish second in this competition. The gold medals were collected by Ramadan Ghaitnov (77.1kg), Rasool Mohamadov (120.2kg) in the men's section and Iza Pertolsu (52.2kg), Petrez Denis (56.7kg) and Sabrina De Souzi (65.8kg) in the women's section.

Murad Gouzinouv (77.1kg) and Sultan Omarouv (83.9kg) collected silver medals in the men's section. Meanwhile, Ghazi Gaziev (93kg) bagged a gold medal, while Shameel Ali Khanouv (56.7kg) took home a silver medal in the youth category.