A star-studded Bahraini delegation of more than 200 members will be flying the kingdom’s flag in 20 sports at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) announced yesterday that the kingdom’s squad features approximately 230 participants, including athletes, coaches, administrators, media, and medical staff – all of whom are all geared up for today’s opening ceremony of this year’s quadrennial Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) spectacle.
The BOC confirmed that the kingdom’s top sportsmen and women in Aichi-Nagoya – headlined by reigning and former world, continental, Arab, and Gulf champions – will be looking to bring further Asiad glory to Bahrain in 20 sports.
These include athletics, badminton, five-on-five basketball, 3x3 basketball, boxing, cycling, equestrian (dressage), esports, handball, jiu-jitsu, judo, kurash, mixed martial arts (MMA), shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, weightlifting, and wrestling.
The kingdom’s athletes who have already arrived in Japan have begun their final preparations for their respective competitions, including Bahrain’s swimmers and the senior men’s handball national team, among others.
None of the kingdom’s athletes are in action today in their sports, but tomorrow will be a busy day for Bahrain’s delegation with the kingdom’s athletes scheduled to compete in cycling, handball, MMA, shooting, swimming, table tennis, and triathlon.
As part of pre-event activities held yesterday in Aichi-Nagoya, BOC executive director of operations and Bahrain’s chef de mission Ahmed Abdulghaffar participated in the torch relay, which was held under the theme ‘A Uniting Flame for All’.
Bahrain are one of 45 delegations flying the flags of the OCA’s member nations in this year’s Asiad.
The kingdom’s medal hopefuls are amongst 11,000 participating athletes, both men and women, in 43 sports.
The senior men’s five-on-five basketball national team have already completed their participation.
They bowed out of further contention but made history by advancing to the quarter-final stage for the first time after five previous appearances, ensuring their best-ever finish on the Asiad hardwood.
Bahrain are taking part for the 14th time in the Asian Games, which is the world’s biggest multi-sport event outside of the Olympics.
The kingdom first participated in 1974 and have been going for gold in each Asiad edition since.
Bahrain have won a total of 104 medals in past editions of the Asian Games, including 49 gold, 27 silver, and 28 bronze.
Their best medal haul came in 2018 in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia, where they bagged a sensational 26 medals, including 12 gold, seven silver, and seven bronze.
In the previous edition of the quadrennial spectacle in 2022 in Hangzhou, China, the Bahrainis captured 20 medals, headlined by 12 gold and including three silver and five bronze.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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