Bahrain open winners crowned
Manama : HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Honourary President of Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation, appointed Abdulrahman bin Sadiq Askar, Assistant Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Secretary-General of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, to attend and crown the winners of the Bahrain Open Mixed Martial Arts and Boxing Championship, which ended yesterday at the Khalifa Sport City Hall.
Shaikh Khalid praised the large participation of Bahraini youth in the Boxing and MMA competitions and for the outstanding performances they delivered and the participation of national teams and clubs from the GCC.
He commended the efforts of the Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation (BMMAF), headed by Colonel Abdulaziz Al Khayat, in organising the first official competition launched by the Federation.
Shaikh Khalid said: “We will continue with the efforts and support till we achieve our vision of promoting MMA amidst Bahraini sports and the region. Our goal is to see national teams that confirm their strong presence in various international forums and participations in order to reach a developed stage. We have won our first three medals, the first at the European Open in Birmingham, UK, the second in the World Amateur Championships held in Las Vegas, US last year and the European Open in Sofia, Bulgaria in March”.
Askar watched the competitions of the championship, in the presence of Colonel Al Khayat and crowned the champions in the two competitions, stressing that this tournament comes within the programme developed by the Federation which is goes in line with the directives of Shaikh Khalid to promote mixed martial arts.
He said: “The spread of MMA locally and at the level of GCC countries, was due to the support of Shaikh Khalid and his personal pursuit and encouragement to fighters and develop the sport in the sporting community and develop the talent to represent Bahrain in the near future.”
The final day of competition held under the patronage of Shaikh Khalid included holding of the amateur MMA competition, in which 34 fighters participated. The fights were filled with strength, excitement and enthusiasm from the fighters, who delivered performances that reflected on their preparations for the championships.
Each bout was over three three-minute rounds and could end anytime if an opponent surrendered, with the full bout winner over three rounds determined by the judging panel.
Among participants in the mixed martial arts competition was the participation of fighters from teams and clubs from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates who played a major role in the success of this event.
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