Bahrain eyes gold at Arab Games

TDT | Manama                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com     

A star-studded, 34-strong Bahrain athletics team will be going for gold at the fast-approaching 15th Arab Games, set to be hosted by Algeria from Wednesday to July 15.

Athletics is one of nine sports that the Kingdom’s national teams will be vying for medals at the event. The others include weightlifting, badminton, table tennis, sailing, swimming, cycling, wheelchair basketball and athletics for people of determination.

The athletics squad was confirmed yesterday to TDT by the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC). The star-studded roster includes 17 women and 18 men.

They are to be led by the likes of former Asian Games gold-medallist and two-time Asian champion Winfred Yavi, 2016 Olympic gold-medallist and Asian Games winner Ruth Jebet, three-time Asian Games winner and former World under-20 champion Edidiong Odiong, two-time Asian champion Aminat Jamal, ex-Asian Games gold-medallist and Asian champion Birhanu Balew, and former Asian champion Dawit Fikadu, among others.

A number of Bahrain’s athletes will be competing in more than one event, such as Edidiong who has been entered to run in the women’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay; Aminat, who will be competing in the women’s 100m hurdles and 4x400m relay; and Balew and Fikadu, who are each entered in both the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m.

Bahrain is one of 18 nations participating in the multi-sport meeting.

This year’s Arab Games will be held under the theme “With sports we progress and compete, in Algeria we meet”, and it will feature around 6,000 athletes from the competing Arab countries.

There are 23 sports in all at the Arab Games, including three for people of determination, across 245 events. They are to be held across five Algerian cities, namely Algiers, Oran, Tipasa, Constantine, and Annaba.

The tournament is held under the supervision of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, with the aim of cementing the unity of Arab youth, strengthening friendship among Arab people, and reinforcing the principles of the Arab Olympic Movement.

The last time the Games were held was in 2011 in Doha, when Bahrain captured 37 medals, including 12 gold, 10 silver and 15 bronze, according to the BOC.

Bahrain also took part in the 2007, 2004, 1999, 1992, 1985 and 1976 editions of the Games.

The first-ever Arab Games took place in 1953, and was originally being held every four years, but due to various circumstances, there have been lengthy gaps between editions.