HM King accorded Bahraini sports priority in managerial, technical development

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS) and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) said that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has accorded a priority to Bahraini sports.

HM the King's interest in Bahraini sports in general and making it a priority in particular, confirms HM's keenness on Bahraini sports reaching an advanced status among the most distinguished countries in various sports competitions, he said.

The strong movement in Bahrain's sports sector is a potential outcome of HM the King's support of the strategy for the advancement of sports to ensure the highest positions, HH Shaikh Khalid said during the press conference held by HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa with the editors-in-chief of local dailies.

HM the King's vision

"In the 'Estijabah' Program, we follow the vision of HM the King, and Bahraini sports have witnessed a remarkable development, especially in the legislation that organizes its work, which has contributed positively to making the sports sector stronger internationally. Bahrainis champions have made great achievements, which demonstrated the quality and depth of the work to promote Bahraini sports," HH Shaikh Khalid said.

"Estijabah" also seeks to carry out the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to transform the sports sector into a sector that supports the local economy and to move to professionalism and sports industry as well, he added.

The emphasis has been on making sports a fair and open competitive activity that enables athletes and players to compete for achievements in the name of Bahrain, restructuring work and eliminating duplication of work in order to facilitate the implementation of initiatives that ensure steady progress of Bahraini sports, he said.

Nasser bin Hamad's confidence is source of pride

The confidence of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the King's Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, and HH's initiatives have contributed to driving the Bahraini sports movement towards numerous achievements.

Bahraini sports have become successful in enhancing sports legislation and laws and in advancing technical, managerial and organizational matters for sports institutions that manage and oversee sports, which contributed to reducing overlapping in their work, he added.

The sports sector is moving at a steady pace towards development and growth and it is very committed to achieving the principles of the "Estijabah" Program that provide robust bases for further progress, establishing a fair and open competitive environment, highlighting achievements and shortcomings, and removing guardianship.

"We seek through the initiatives, programs and strategies that we provide to the sports sector to ensure a fair, open competitive environment, with the aim of conveying to young people the message that the field is for all talents, and that fair competition is the strong basis for achievements in the name of Bahrain," HH Shaikh Khalid said.

Appreciation of the efforts of those in charge of "Estijabah"

HH Shaikh Khalid lauded the great efforts made by those in charge of "Estijabah" and stressed their full dedication, within a team spirit, to concretizing all initiatives and projects relating to the sports sector and ensuring the continuity of progress.

Ministry of Youth and Sports efforts appreciated

“We highly appreciate the great efforts made by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in supporting and following up sports projects and initiatives, which contributed to their completion in a record time and to positive technical, managerial, organizational and legislative outcomes," HH Shaikh Khalid said.

Study status and development

HH Shaikh Khalid said that the "Estijabah" program, since its launch by HH Shaikh Nasser, has begun to take steps to study the sports situation in the Kingdom in preparation for the development process.

Among the measures taken in this regard is the organization of the Sports Summit in 2019 during which the opinions of the sports figures to develop the sports sector, the comprehensive needs of the sports sector, and work on applying initiatives stemming from people interested in sports were shared.

Corrective initiatives

Corrective steps taken by "Estijabah" that have contributed to reforming Bahraini sports include the establishment of an institutional system to distribute subsidies to clubs without any interference and depending on their achievements.

"The system has proven its effectiveness and success in all respects, and we may extend it to the federations in the future and amend the laws on sports club governance to organize managerial work. We can develop the club sector more comprehensively by communicating electronically to identify their requests and needs, allowing the holding of general meetings and assemblies virtually, organizing full-time sports and establishing a contract system," HH Shaikh Khalid said.

Complementarity with the Ministry of Education

HH Shaikh Khalid said there was complementarity in sports facilities between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports as school sports facilities and centers have been opened for clubs on an experimental basis.

This contributes to achieving the goals for which these facilities were set up and to harnessing them in an organized manner to embrace youth and develop their capabilities and skills and hosting programs and functions that attract youth in an ideal environment. The sports infrastructure plan will include the sports facilities of the Ministry of Education, he added.

Sports industry

HH Shaikh Khalid noted that corrective measures included executive steps to enrich the sports sector and bring it in line with global developments and the sports industry.

A law was approved to establish national clubs as commercial companies that enable the clubs to increase their sources of income and utilize their assets commercially in a way that guarantees more financial income to the club’s treasury that will help it meet its requirements.

Sports Professionalism Law

HH Shaikh Khalid pointed out that "the Sports Professionalism Law will constitute a quantum leap in the history of Bahraini sports, shifting from amateurism to professionalism in a way that guarantees the rights of athletes and clubs and brings stability to them.

This is a major goal now since stability for athletes and players represents an appropriate environment for them to focus on enhancing their technical skills and abilities of the players, HH Shaikh Khalid added.

Cooperation with the Ministry of Works

HH Shaikh Khalid said that cooperation with the Ministry of Works aims to implement projects suitable for the youth and sports sector, upgrading the sports facilities sector and implementing the Nasser bin Hamad initiative to establish Al Furjan stadiums.

The ministry possesses the necessary expertise to implement projects in a distinguished manner that will enhance the positive development of the youth and sports construction sector in the Kingdom, he added.

Open League

The establishment of the open league offers opportunities to ambitious youths to participate in football competitions and enhance their talents while being scouted by clubs that could recruit them.

With the launch of the Open League, this initiative has achieved great success and many talents have emerged with promises of a bright future in the Bahraini football landscape.

"We extend our thanks and appreciation to the Bahrain Football Association for its keenness to launch, organize and ensure the success of this initiative in its first edition. The federation mobilized all its technical, administrative and organizational capabilities to ensure the fulfilment of the noble goals for which it was launched,"" HH Shaikh Khalid said.

Media is a strategic partner in implementation of "Estijabah"

HH Shaikh Khalid praised the support of the media for the initiatives and programs offered by "Estijabah" for the development of sports in Bahrain.

“The print, audio-visual media and social media have an essential role in the sports development process, through highlighting the successes achieved by "Estijabah" in promoting the various elements of Bahraini sport," he said.

Future steps

"We will continue our work to carry out more initiatives that promote the youth and sports sector and make the Bahraini sports move forward steadily towards development in all its administrative, organizational, technical and legislative fields," HH Shaikh Khalid said.

"There is great importance in fulfilling the roles entrusted to us and defining responsibilities without overlapping and duplication of work. The next stage requires the cooperation of all sports-related parties in order to build a better future for sports and work to unify efforts in order to see the Bahraini sports score further achievements and build on accomplishments."