SHAIKH Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, chairman of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and president of Bahrain Olympic Committee, thanked Fifa for providing the Kingdom with the opportunity to gather the greatest minds of football.
Shaikh Nasser made the remark while addressing the 67th Fifa Congress yesterday on behalf of His Majesty King Hamad.
“It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you today on behalf of His Majesty and my fellow Bahraini men and women to our country. This is a monumental day for our nation as we host the global football family under one roof.
“This adds another dimension to our national vision to be an island that hosts, supports, organises, develops and participates in the success of the global sports movement, in all its forms, including football.”
Dream
Speaking about sports in the Kingdom, Shaikh Nasser highlighted the fact that Bahrain was the first country in the Middle East to host a Formula One Grand Prix in 2004.
“In Bahrain, we don’t dream small, we dream big. This year, Bahrain held its 13th edition of its F1 Grand Prix. In 2016, our very own Bahraini F1 organisers were in Baku exporting our robust know-how in organising a world-class race. As we speak in this Congress, Bahrain-Merida team, the first pro-cycling team from the region, is competing in Giro d’ Italia.
“Our Bahrain Endurance triathlon team continues to conquer more races around the global and help us develop home-grown world-class triathletes. And most notably, our athletes have grabbed the highest number of gold medals from the region in the Rio Olympics.
“Having said that, football - no doubt - remains the sport that colours every Bahraini home. Passions for football are not only peaking during watching local leagues, Gulf Cups, regional tournaments and the World Cup, but also during following local leagues in other continents.”