HH Shaikh Khalid urges strong Asiad showing
His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa has called on Bahrain’s athletes to deliver a performance worthy of the country’s sporting reputation at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
HH Shaikh Khalid, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president, stressed the importance of honourable representation from every national squad competing under the Team Bahrain banner.
He made the remarks while chairing the BOC board’s eighth meeting at Al Wadi Palace in Riffa, where members reviewed final preparations for the Games, which officially run from September 19 to October 4.
The delegation announced so far spans 11 sports, with reigning Olympic champion Winfred Yavi leading a powerful 34-member athletics squad featuring Salwa Eid Naser, Ruth Jebet, Birhanu Balew and Abbas Yusuf.
Olympic bronze-medallist and defending Asian Games champion Gor Minasyan headlines the four-strong weightlifting team alongside Jokser Albornoz Quinto, Ingrid Vanesa Segura Grueso and Alina Marushchak.
The kingdom will also be represented in basketball, judo, cycling, shooting, wrestling, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, badminton and esports.
The men’s basketball team begin their Pool C campaign against the Philippines on Friday before facing China and Kazakhstan. Seven judokas, seven shooters and five wrestlers have also been selected.
More than 11,000 athletes from the Olympic Council of Asia’s 45 member nations are expected to contest 469 medal events across 43 sports. Bahrain, who made their debut in 1974, will be making their 14th appearance at the continental showpiece.
Looking beyond Japan, the board discussed the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, this year’s Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh and the road towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Members also received an update on plans for Bahrain to host the 2027 Arab Games before reviewing its leading sporting achievements from the first quarter of 2026.
These included the men’s handball team’s Asian title and the national delegation’s performances at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya and the GCC Games in Doha.
It was also confirmed that the country will host the 38th meeting of GCC national Olympic committee presidents and the 102nd executive office meeting.
Closer to home, the fifth Bahrain Junior Olympics and the 2026 Olympic Day event will be staged during the final quarter of this year.
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