Bahrain clinch West Asian bodybuilding title

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain dominated the fourth West Asian Bodybuilding Championship, hosted this year by the Kingdom.

The nationals thus came away with the overall title for the fourth time.

Patronised by His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports First Deputy Chairman, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President, the two-day tournament, with 160 participants in the fray, was held at the Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Hall in the University of Bahrain (UoB) Sakhir Campus.

The contestants were from Bahrain, the UAE, Syria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon and Iran, as well as a number of other nationalities residing in various West Asian countries after the decision of the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) to allow them to participate, namely Pakistan, Great Britain, Egypt and Nigeria.

Bahrain topped the table after achieving 280 points, ahead of the UAE (279 points) and Oman (169 points), who were second and third, respectively.

The top three were followed by Syria (148 points), Saudi Arabia (79 points), Iran (41 points), Kuwait (39 points), Yemen (28 points) and Lebanon (25 points).

HH Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, GSA Deputy Chairman, crowned the winners, in the presence of Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad bin Saif Al-Sharqi, UAE Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation Vice-President, Dr. Abdulrahman Askar, GSA Chief Executive Officer, officials, sports personalities and senior invitees.

On the first day of the tournament, Bahraini bodybuilders bagged 12 medals, including seven gold, two silver and three bronze.

On the second and final day, they clinched 16 medals, including five gold, six silver and five bronze, to raise the Kingdom’s tally to 28.

Commenting, Bahrain Bodybuilding Federation (BBF) President, Sami Al-Haddad, praised HH Shaikh Khalid’s patronage of the tournament, and the attendance of HH Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, GSA Deputy Chairman.

He also hailed the support of the IFBB, and the presence of Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad bin Saif Al-Sharqi and all guests and prominent sports personalities.

He also paid tribute to the West Asian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness for its support and the work team for the tremendous efforts it had exerted to ensure the success of the championship.

The tournament was organised by the BBF under the supervision of the IFBB and the West Asian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness.