Manama: The First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa attended the draw ceremony for the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championship for Amateurs which started late last night in Las Vegas.
Shaikh Khalid also attended the weighing and medical inspection process of the world championship matches held at Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.
Shaikh Khalid praised the great efforts and preparations made by the IMMAF in organising this global event for the second consecutive year.
He was delighted that Bahrain is the first Gulf country to compete in this world-class championship, and the second Arab country after Lebanon.
Shaikh Khalid said that this will be a great chance for Bahraini fighters to start their international journey, adding that this event is a good opportunity for the participating fighters to improve and develop their skills.
Meanwhile, the IMMAF World Championship for Amateurs kicked off yesterday at 11am local time (9pm Bahrain time) held at Flamingo Hotel.
A total of 140 male fighters and 20 female fighters from 25 countries are taking part and they are Bahrain, the US, Great Britain, North Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, India, Poland, Belgium, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Ukraine, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Italy, Czech Republic, Canada, Austria, France, Bulgaria, Sweden, Romania and South Africa.
The championship matches will be played in a knockout rules, with the qualification round to be held from July 6 to 9. The final matches will be held in the last day of the championship.
Bahrain’s Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa Mixed Martial Arts (KHK MMA) Team members who will compete in this championship are Abdulla Seena and Ali Ibrahimi.
Seena and Ibrahimi will compete in the 61kg nd 70kg categories, respectively.
Seena is drawn to take on Kazakhstan’s Nur Tilek Konashov in the first round, while Ibrahimi will play one of the winners from the first round.
Meanwhile, Shaikh Khalid met with IMMAF President Kerrith Brown and IMMAF Chief Executive Denzin White and other officials.
Shaikh Khalid praised the efforts of the IMMAF in making this event a great success, pointing out that the cooperation between the IMMAF and Bahrain will help improve and develop this sport in the Kingdom of Bahrain.