Bahrain Announces 14-Member Olympic Squad

The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) held a press conference to announce the squad with the athletes scheduled to compete in five sports, including athletics, judo, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, at the 2024 Paris Olympics which will start on July 26.

Cabinet Affairs Ministry undersecretary and BOC vice-president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, BOC secretary general Faris Al Kooheji, and BOC executive director Ahmed Abdulghaffar were present at the press launch which H.E. Eric Giraud-Telme, the French Ambassador to Bahrain also attended.

Bahrain is among more than 200 countries taking part in the Olympic Games which will see competitions across 32 sports.

Shaikh Isa said the BOC was confident that they have a strong team, including some world champions who could potentially translate that success to Olympic medals in their sports.

He was also sure that Paris’ organisation of the Games would be wonderful and Bahrain was happy to be taking part, he added.

Faris, the BOC secretary general, said that Bahrain’s participation in the Paris Olympics was a testament to the unwavering support extended to the country’s sports bodies by the kingdom’s wise leadership.

It was started by His Majesty King Hamad in 1975 after the creation of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Faris continued, adding that His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa then put Bahrain on the world map with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa led the BOC for 10 years and was responsible for putting the infrastructure in place that was bearing fruit now, Faris said, adding that, under the leadership of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahraini athletes had qualified for the wrestling and judo competitions this year.

Meanwhile, the French Ambassador declared that the Paris Olympics would be ‘festive, popular and spectacular’ and congratulated the BOC for the excellent preparation of the athletes.

The ambassador said that he wished the athletes luck and hoped that they would return with medals, adding that the French Embassy in Bahrain would be backing them.

Eight members of the squad will take part in athletics at the Paris Olympics; two each in weightlifting and swimming and one each in wrestling and judo.

They are all currently in the final stages of their overseas training camps.

More than 10,500 athletes will be competing at Paris 2024, where the gender balance will be 50-50 for the first time in Olympic history.

GO: Visit www.boc.bh for more information.