AQUATICS – SUPREME Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority (GSA) chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa visited the World Aquatics Centre of Excellence and regional office yesterday at University of Technology Bahrain (UTB).
Shaikh Khalid was accompanied by GSA deputy chairman Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, BOC vice-president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, GSA CEO Dr Abdulrahman Askar, BOC secretary general Faris Al Kooheji, GFH Financial Group BSC group CEO and board member Hisham Al Rayes, Infacorp Bahrain CEO Majed Al Khan, UTB president Dr Hasan Al Mulla, and several senior officials.
Shaikh Khalid reviewed progress on the region’s first specialised project to advance aquatic sports and develop elite athletes. The centre, established in partnership between World Aquatics and GFH Group, is the first of its kind in the region, aimed to develop aquatic sports and train future champions.
During a visit to the project site, Shaikh Khalid inspected the final stages of construction, which have reached around 60 per cent completion.
Shaikh Khalid toured the Olympic-sized pool, athlete rooms, and other dedicated aquatic facilities, and was briefed on the remaining phases of the project and the university’s readiness to welcome the first group of World Aquatics scholarship students in the upcoming academic year.
Shaikh Khalid underscored that the centre represents a pioneering model and a significant addition to Bahrain’s sports infrastructure. He emphasised its role in positioning the kingdom as a regional hub for aquatic sports and in creating world-class champions.
Shaikh Khalid also highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in developing sustainable sports environments and called for accelerating the project’s completion to provide an ideal setting for aquatic athletes both locally and internationally.
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