Putting muscle into patriotism

CAPTAIN ’S CORNER  BY CAPTAIN MAHMOOD AL MAHMOOD

Bahrain first participated in the Olympics in 1984. Since then, in the intervening four decades, much has changed in the sports scene for the country.

A young and dynamic leadership has taken charge of different aspects of sports – whether it is football, volleyball, equestrian sports, endurance sports such as the Iron Man Triathlon or MMA martial arts, we are seeing a Bahraini leadership which is actively engaged and passionate about sports.

HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa is a world-acclaimed equestrian and triathlete; HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Cou ncil for You t h and Sports (SCYS) and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee ( BOC) invests his energy and resources to personally promote martial arts and world class boxing in Bahrain.

He even set a record by swimming 35 hours non - stop between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to raise funds for charity in 2014.

The result is that Bahraini youth have started looking at sports as a way to build team spirit, cooperation and also physical fitness. Facilities too have improved.

F r o m well-maint a i n e d sports clubs, regular circuits of matches and investment in coaches who will impart top-class training, Bahraini athletes have been given the opportunity to climb the ladder of sporting success.

And this goes for our para-athletes also. Bahrain has systematically won laurels in the Paralympics, thanks to facilities and training being made available to them.

Make no mistake – a nation that serves its athletes puts muscle into its patriotism. Haniyeh was killed early Wednesday in the Iranian capital where he was attending the swearing-in of the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

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