Bahrain Swimming Association (BSA) president Shaikh Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has revealed that the association is in the process of announcing the first-ever Bahraini professional watersports academy.
This initiative is in line with the directives of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs representative, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The academy will be the only one of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain, specialised in swimming, water polo, diving and other watersports.
Shaikh Mohammed said the academy will become a pioneering project, and aims to set up a solid foundation of watersports and achieve a major leap in this area.
“We hope to create a unique generation in all watersports, citizens and residents of the Kingdom without exception,” said Shaikh Mohammed.
“The Bahrain Swimming Association seeks to establish an official entity with a modern athletic academic approach to become a permanent reference for all athletes wishing to enter this type of sports in Bahrain. We will certainly work hard to provide all that would help us achieve our objectives in this regard.”
Shaikh Mohammed stressed the keenness of the association to apply the highest technical standards by signing up international coaches to conduct the programmes of the association.
“In order to achieve the highest standards of professionalism, we will provide the highest quality training staff to supervise various age categories that will be present at the academy,” said Shaikh Mohammed.
He also pointed out that the facility will embrace different programmes, starting with those for beginners, as well as dedicated programmes to discover young talents and develop their skills to join national teams through special training courses in a professional environment.
Shaikh Mohammed said the training programmes will be open to citizens and residents alike, stressing the commitment of the BSA to continue its theme “Swimming for All”, calling all those wishing to join the programmes to take part, which will be announced soon.
The association’s present programmes, which involve kids and adults alike, feature more than 12,000 people throughout the year.