International School Sport Federation (ISF) president Laurent Petrynka lavished praise on Bahrain yesterday after a Press conference at the American University of Bahrain (AUB) to mark the start of a year-long countdown to the ISF Gymnasiade which will be hosted by the kingdom in October 2024 in an historic first for a country in the Middle East.
5,000 students from more than 80 countries will take part in the 10-day ISF Gymnasiade – the only international multi-sport event – dedicated for school athletes – which will feature 25 sporting disciplines. It is expected to be the biggest sporting event ever held in Bahrain in terms of the number of participants.
“The hospitality spirit – it’s very true – only if you come to Bahrain can you notice the spirit of hospitality,” Petrynka told the GDN in an exclusive interview after the Press conference during which ISF CEO Hrvoje Custonja and the chairman of the Bahraini executive committee responsible for organising the tournament, Ishaq Abdulla Ishaq also addressed a captive audience.
“The people are very joyful, always smiling and everyone is ready to welcome the world of school sports.
“Since ISF is an international federation with 134 member associations, any of the members can apply to host any sports event.
“Our main event, of course, is the Gymnasiade which, in a way, is the Olympic Games of school sports. So, when Bahrain applied to host the event, it was a historic moment because it is the first time that a Middle Eastern country had made a bid to organise the Gymnasiade.
“It showed that Bahrain had a lot of interest and was committed so coming to the Middle East for the first time was very important.”
Earlier, during the Press conference in the AUB auditorium with Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) vice president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa amongst the dignitaries in the audience, Petrynka explained the vision that the ISF – an international non-profit sports organisation that organises international grassroots and competitive sports events for students aged six to 16 – operates according to.
“At ISF, we understand that everything starts at school,” he said.
“It is our vision to empower children to become the active citizens of tomorrow. And, when I see the young generation here in the room already involved in the Gymnasiade process, I can be satisfied that the new generation is taking the lead.
“Since 1995, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recognised the ISF mission as well as our shared values. It is through events like these that we witness the true spirit of these values where young athletes from different cultures and different backgrounds compete with excellence and friendship.
“We are confident that this truly global event will leave a lasting legacy, not only in the minds of those who participate but also in the hearts of the communities we touch.
“With Bahrain as our host, we can guarantee the highest standard of organisation, hospitality, sportsmanship and friendship. So let me invite you all to join this incredible journey to the ISF Gymnasiade in October 2024.
“In this event, we not only showcase the immense talent of the young athletes, but also, for sure, we will celebrate the generosity and the unity of the nation.”
Later, ISF secretary general Hrvoje Custonja took the audience through a brief history of the organisation with the help of a multi-media presentation and explained how it would conduct the upcoming 2024 Gymnasiade.
“We are the global umbrella association for national school sports organisations,” he said.
“We have 134 member associations from different countries. We are reaching more than 200,000 schools worldwide. And we are so unique, we are the only organisation who are hosting international grassroots competitions for school students.
“We work in close cooperation with the IOC and, especially, the international sports federations. And we are completely sure that the ISF Gymnasiade in Bahrain next year will be delivered at the highest possible level.
“The ISF Gymnasiade is our flagship event, our biggest event and when we speak about an ISF event, we are not speaking only about sport or about competition, we are speaking, also, about education – because our focus on education is, I would say, the biggest difference between the ISF and all other international federations.
“Jointly, we are changing the lives of all those students who will come to Bahrain next year.”
Afterwards, Ishaq informed the audience that the organising committee had already completed 81 per cent of the tasks that had been mandated when the hosting rights were awarded to Bahrain in Normandy, France, in 2022.
“That shows the level of commitment of every stakeholder, whether it’s from the federations, whether it’s from the ISF,” he said.
A giant screen flashed different figures and statistics behind him as Ishaq described which venues had been allocated for the sporting disciplines, how many hotels would host the visiting delegations and transportation logistics.
“As you know, the success of any tournament in the world depends on accommodation and transport and that is why we have tried to ensure that the competition venues and the hotels are perfectly distributed around Bahrain,” he explained.
Because of the sheer scale of the event, logistics and manpower would have to be tested well in advance of the actual dates in October through a test run in April, Ishaq added.
For his part, Petrynka was convinced that the 2024 ISF Gymnasiade would go off without a hitch.
“We are working closely with the local organising committee to prepare everything,” he said.
“The existing venues are ready already with just some slight modifications to be made. A test event in April will let us know what to iron out and what to keep. We are having regular meetings and, over the next 12 months, the ISF will come to Bahrain twice with technical people from all 25 sports disciplines to inspect everything and advise where necessary.
“And, finally, as the time for the Gymnasiade draws closer, the world is saying to Bahrain: ‘We will be happy to come.’ And the response from Bahrain is: ‘You are very welcome!’
“That is what I mean to say about the Bahraini people: they are so welcoming, always spreading the spirit of hospitality so I say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you – as, I’m sure, the people, who will come here from all those countries to take part in the most important ISF event in the Middle East, will say too!”
adnan@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))