Four Bahraini sports teams delegations recently arrived in Thailand for the Fourth Asian Beach Games, which gets underway on November 14.
Delegations of beach football, handball, volleyball and swimming touched down in Phuket, with Ahmed Al Amer heading the football team.
Other delegation members are administrator Bassim Mahjoob, coach Joao Almeida, assistant coach Mahmood Al Ghawi, physiotherapist Abdulla Arafa and 10 players.
They are Ayoob Naseeb, Ebrahim Hasan, Mohammed Ashoor, Thani Al Dossary, Jasim Al Dossary, Isa Al Dossary, Abdulla Abdullatif, Mohammed Al Ghawi and goalkeepers Salah Salman and Saleh Al Dossary.
The teams were received on arrival at Phuket International Airport by Bahrain delegation chef de mission Mohammed Al Ghunaim, technical director of the Bahrain Olympic Committee’s (BOC) Lounes Madene and committee treasurer Yaqoub Abdulmohsin.
Bahrain’s footballers, who had their first training session yesterday, are due to play Kuwait in a friendly match just before the start of the tournament.
Bahrain is also sending four other sports disciplines to the games, including athletics, sailing, triathlon and weightlifting, whose teams are expected to arrive in Phuket in the coming two days.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s handball team began their preparations in Phuket with a 0-2 defeat to hosts Thailand in a friendly match. The Bahrainis, being coached by national tactician Khalid Al Hiddi, are spearheaded by Jaffer Abdulnabi, Abdulla Ali, Mohammed Habib, Fahad Jassim, Jaffer Abbas, Mohammed Jawad, Belal Basham, Mahmood Ali, Hussain Al Qaydoom and Sayed Shehab.
Elsewhere, the Royal Flame of the Games was carried from the Sports Authority of Thailand to leave the Suvarnbhumi Airport by Thai Airways International by on Flight and arrived in Phuket.
There will be a torch run today (November 12) to celebrate the Royal Games Flame at Muang District and the following day at Thalang District before the Flame will be carried for an installation at the Saphan Hin Sports Center, where the opening ceremony of the 4th Asian Beach Games will take place on November 14
This 10-day action-packed event will see athletes from 45 nations compete in 26 sports and 169 events for top honors.
The official dates of the Games are November 14 to 23, but squash will start on November 11, followed by sambo, ju-jitsu and beach flag football all on November 12.
The slogan is “Celebrate Charming Sunshine”. Patong Beach and Karon Beach are the two centres hosting the Games, while the Opening Ceremony is on Friday, November 14 at Saphan Hin Sports Centre.
