Bahrain ready for busy start at GCC Games

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s national teams are set for a busy opening day at the fourth GCC Games in Doha, which runs until May 22. Both the handball team and the 3x3 basketball squads will be looking to make strong early impressions as competition begins in the Qatari capital.

The opening ceremony was held yesterday at Al Shaqab Indoor Arena, officially marking the start of the Games.

3x3 Basketball

The 3x3 men’s team begins its campaign today against Oman at 3:05 PM, before taking on Kuwait at 7:10 PM later the same day. The squad features Mohammed Buallay, Wayne Chism, Austin Ajukwa, and Bogdan Dragovic.

The women’s team also opens its campaign today against the UAE at 5:05 PM, followed by a meeting with Saudi Arabia at 6:45 PM. Their roster includes Bayan Salman, Aya Murtadha, Shireen Abdulrahman, and Mariam Sameer.

The tournament follows a round-robin format, where all teams play each other and are ranked based on their results. The top sides then advance to the semi-finals, with the 1st-placed team facing the 4th-placed team, and the 2nd-placed team meeting the 3rd.

Both teams are coached by Bogdan Dragovic and national coach Murtada Mohammed, who have been overseeing preparations for this Gulf assignemnt.

Handball

Later in the week, Bahrain’s men’s handball team enters the competition buoyed by a standout year, highlighted by their Asian Men’s Handball Championship triumph in Kuwait City — their first continental title. That success also secured qualification for the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship in Germany.

Under head coach Robert Hedin, the side has undergone intensive preparation at the Bahrain Handball Federation Arena, with the focus on maintaining momentum. The Swede is expected to rely on a settled core group from that success, bringing continuity into the tournament.

The 19-player squad selected for the Games is: Hussain Al Sayyad, Mohammed Abdulhussain, Mohammed Habib Ahmed, Mohammed Habib Naser, Mohammed Hameed, Jassim Khamis, Ahmed Redha, Hisham Ahmed, Ahmed Jalal, Ali Al Ashiri, Salman Al Showaikh, Ali Mahmood, Ali Redha, Jaffar Al Fursan, Sayed Ali Bassem, Hussain Mahfoodh, Abdulla Abdulkarim, Ahmed Talib, and Ahmed Eid.

Bahrain have traditionally been strong performers at the GCC Games, winning gold in 2011 and silver in both 2015 and 2022, underlining their consistency at regional level.

The team begins its campaign against Kuwait on Friday, before facing Saudi Arabia and Qatar in consecutive fixtures next week. The group stage concludes against the United Arab Emirates on May 21.

Wider participation

The GCC Games in Doha are being staged across 10 venues and feature 18 sports, ranging from athletics and swimming to shooting, volleyball, billiards, and padel, among others.

Bahrain will also compete across a wide range of disciplines including boxing, fencing, karate, swimming, athletics, taekwondo, table tennis, and volleyball, and more.

Basketball in its traditional format has been removed from this edition despite initial plans.

The volleyball team, coached by Ivan Jokosimovic, will open its campaign on May 16 against Oman, before returning to action the following day against the United Arab Emirates, and then facing Kuwait on May 19. The coach arrives having guided Dar Kulaib to an unbeaten Isa Bin Rashid Volleyball League title, and more recently finishing as runner-up in the Crown Prince Cup after a final defeat to Muharraq.

Overall, the Kingdom’s delegation arrives with a strong recent record at the Games, having topped the medal table in 2011 and collected 64 medals at the 2022 edition in Kuwait, including 20 gold.