GCC GAMES – BAHRAIN participated last night in the colourful opening ceremony of the fourth GCC Games in Doha, Qatar.
The inauguration took place at Al Shaqab Indoor Arena in the Qatari capital, with high-ranking sports officials from all six GCC nations in attendance, along with athletes, delegation members, and fans.
Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) vice-president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa was on hand at the venue, as were BOC secretary general Faris Al Kooheji and the kingdom’s chef de mission in Doha and BOC Arab and international relations head Maryam Mardana.
Table tennis ace Rashed Sanad and 3x3 basketball star Bayan Salman, donned in traditional Bahraini clothing, had the honour of being the kingdom’s flag-bearers during the ceremony.
Bahrain’s delegation at this year’s GCC Games features a total of 219 members, headlined by 146 athletes – 100 men and 46 women.
They will be going for gold in 16 of the event’s 18 sports, including archery, athletics, 3x3 basketball, billiards, boxing, handball, equestrian, fencing, karate, padel, shooting, snooker, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, and volleyball.
The kingdom’s national teams will begin their medal bids today in five sports – namely 3x3 basketball, billiards, swimming, table tennis, and taekwondo.
In 3x3 basketball, both Bahrain’s women’s and men’s teams will be in action at the Al Gharafa Club courts.
The women’s squad features Salman, Aya Kamali, Maryam Sameer, and Shereen Abdulrahman. They are in Pool B for their tournament’s opening phase, where they will first take on their counterparts from the UAE at 5.05pm this evening and then go up against Saudi Arabia at 6.45pm. Pool A features Oman, Kuwait, and hosts Qatar.
The top two from each group will move on to the knockouts, to be held tomorrow, beginning with the semi-finals.
For the men, Bahrain’s 3x3 basketball team features Bogdan Dragovic, Mohammed Buallay, Austin Ajukwa, and Wayne Chism. They are part of a five-nation field along with Saudi, the UAE, Kuwait, and hosts Qatar.
Their first assignment today will be against the Saudis at 4.10pm. They then play Kuwait at 5.25pm, before going up against Qatar at 6.15pm in their last fixture for the day. They continue their campaign tomorrow with a clash against the UAE at 3.50pm.
The top four on the standings will move on to the semis later tomorrow evening, which will then set the match-ups in the battles for gold and bronze.
In billiards, brothers Hussain Maroom and Haider Maroom will both be competing in the qualification stage today of the men’s 10-ball singles tournament. They will also be going for gold in the men’s 10-ball doubles later this week.
Their competitions are to be held at Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Hall.
In swimming, Bahrain will have competitors today in the men’s 800 metres freestyle heats, the men’s 200m individual medley heats, the men’s 50m freestyle heats, the men’s 100m backstroke heats, and the men’s 200m butterfly heats.
Amongst the kingdom’s medal hopefuls who will be hitting the pool at Hamad Aquatics Centre is Robert Bonsall, who recently came close to winning a medal for Bahrain at the sixth Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China.
In table tennis, Sanad will be amongst Bahrain’s players who will be competing in the men’s teams qualification today at Aspire Dome.
In taekwondo, Fatema Kalawadh, Muath Mohammed, and Abdulla Alhiddi are all set to fly the kingdom’s flag in their respective women’s and men’s weight categories at Aspire Women’s Sports Hall.
At the fourth GCC Games, Bahrain will be looking to add to their rich medal haul from the previous editions of the multi-sport spectacle – held in Kuwait City, Kuwait in 2022; in Dammam, Saudi Arabia in 2015; and in Bahrain in 2011.
The nationals bagged a sensational 64 medals from the 2022 meeting, including 20 gold medals, 23 silver, and 21 bronze.
In 2015, they came away with 43 medals, including six gold, 21 silver, and 16 bronze; while in 2011, Bahrain came away with 19 medals, including eight gold, six silver, and five bronze.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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