ASIAN YOUTH GAMES – THE opening ceremony of the third Asian Youth Games (AYG), to be hosted by the kingdom later this year, will be held at Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB), it was announced yesterday.
The mega multi-sport event is scheduled to take place in Bahrain from October 22 to 31, under the royal patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The AYG executive committee is working diligently to finalise preparations for the event, with the committee’s deputy chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) executive director Ahmed Abdulghaffar affirming that all teams are actively collaborating to ensure its success. This will mark the first time Bahrain hosts the AYG, and the country will be welcoming over 4,000 athletes, both boys and girls aged 14 to 18, representing 45 National Olympic Committees.
Abdulghaffar revealed that the opening ceremony will take place on October 22 at EWB. Notably, it will be held indoors for the first time, diverging from the traditional outdoor settings of previous AYG editions, which were held in Singapore in 2009 and China in 2013.
The ceremony will feature a variety of performances, details of which will be announced later, and promises to be exceptional, showcasing Bahraini flair to convey a message from the youth of the kingdom to their Asian counterparts.
EWB, inaugurated in November of 2022 and located in Sakhir, is one of the newest and largest exhibition centers in the Middle East. Spanning an impressive 149,000 square meters, it boasts a main exhibition hall with a seating capacity of approximately 4,000, along with modern meeting rooms and various service facilities.
As Bahrain prepares to showcase its hospitality and commitment to youth sports, the anticipation builds for an unforgettable event that promises to inspire and unite young athletes from across Asia.
This year’s AYG will serve as a qualifying event for the Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Dakar, Senegal in the summer of 2026.
The Olympic Council of Asia and the local organising committee have approved 24 sports for the event, including swimming, athletics, badminton, 3x3 basketball, boxing, camel racing, cycling, equestrian events, E-sports, futsal, golf, handball, jiu-jitsu, judo, kabaddi, mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, table tennis, taekwondo, teqball, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling.
Seven sports will commence prior to the official opening ceremony. These include boys’ futsal, handball, and volleyball, starting on October 19, followed by girls’ futsal, kabaddi, teqball, and beach volleyball, all beginning on October 21.
The final day of the AYG on October 31 will only feature men’s and women’s swimming events and their awards presentation, alongside the official closing ceremony.
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