Bahrain welcomes ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour for first time

TDT | Manama                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com     

The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy was unveiled last night in the Kingdom of Bahrain in a glittering ceremony held at the Gulf Convention Centre.

The Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority president, and Bahrain Olympic Committee chief His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa attended the event.

Also on hand were International Cricket Council (ICC) deputy chairman Imran Khwaja, Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF) chairman of the advisory board Mohammed Mansoor, KHK Sports CEO Mohammed Shahid, and other high-ranking officials.

Speaking at last night’s event, Khwaja highlighted Bahrain’s great potential to one day be a host of top-level international cricket events. "Brining international cricket to Bahrain is possible," Khwaja said.

"We at the ICC are developing new markets. The US is being developed as a market; we are looking at China, where there is a huge population, but my own view is that the market that is really for the picking is the Gulf area."

If you work together with the other Gulf countries, you can be a formidable force, given the diaspora of the cricket-playing people that are living in this country.

"If you can get two good grounds, I am saying to you, on behalf of the ICC, we will bring international cricket to Bahrain."

Yesterday’s unveiling kicked off the two-day ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, which is being held under the patronage of HH Shaikh Khalid.

Taking place for the first time in Bahrain, it is a major event as part of the lead-up to this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be played in India in October and November.

The prestigious trophy was launched into space in June, also as part of the tour.

The stop in the Kingdom continues today with a number of events being held across the island, including a trophy display at Dana Mall and then a rally to Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

This roadshow will start at 4 p.m. in Juffair and travel through Bab Al Bahrain and Bahrain Bay before the scheduled stop at BIC at around 7 p.m.

The rally will take the trophy around the famous Formula 1 circuit, and there will be an opportunity for fans to take pictures with the trophy.

In addition to visiting over 20 cities in India and Bahrain, the trophy will also tour a number of other countries around the world, including Kuwait, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Uganda, France, Italy, and the US, enabling new and existing fans to get a glimpse of world cricket’s ultimate prize.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour in the Kingdom showcases its beauty, culture, and heritage and helps further promote the country as a tourist destination.

The 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is expected to be the third most-viewed sporting event in the world, behind the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.

The tournament is expected to have a viewership of over seven billion people.

It will be played in 10 different cities across India from October 5 to November 19.