Eventful year for Khalid bin Hamad initiatives

Manama, Dec. 30 (BNA): The year 2018 witnessed several initiatives launched by HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Athletics Association, Honourary President of Bahrain Sports Federation for Disabilities and Honourary President of Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation. This comes in line with the directives and vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to dedicate more efforts to enable the youth and support people with disabilities in all fields, with a focus on the sports sector in the Kingdom. The positive impact of the initiatives was visible on the cultural, youth and sports movements in Bahrain, as it is compatible with the developmental strategy set by HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of HM the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and President of Bahrain Olympic Committee to enrich this vital category of the Bahraini community. HH Shaikh Khalid has sponsored and instructed to implement a number of sports initiatives in 2018. This includes organising the first edition of Bahrain’ Strongest Man Championship, the only one of its kind in the region. Organising the championship reflected His Highness’s concern about promoting the Kingdom of Bahrain as a host of sports events and activities, mainly in the field of endurance games. Hundreds of Bahraini youth took part in the championship, which was successfully held in September. The second edition was planned to be organised in February 2019, as directed by His Highness. The other sports initiatives and events sponsored by His Highness this year were organising 12 BRAVE mixed martial arts championships throughout the year, that is in addition to the Khalid Bin Hamad Futsal League For Youth Centres and National Clubs, which saw the participation of 1, 660 players representing different youth centres, national clubs, people with disabilities, girls and expat communities. Within the sports initiatives of His Highness was also the formation of the first national boxing team, which was announced as part of the efforts to improve and support national sports and athletes. This year also witnessed the launch of several initiatives by HH Shaikh Khalid that are aimed at supporting people with disabilities and engage them in different cultural, sports and social activities. This includes the KHK HEROES initiative and integrating people with disabilities in the BRAVE combat week, Bahrain’s Strongest Man Championship, Khalid Bin Hamad Theatres Festival and Khalid Bin Hamad Futsal League For Youth Centres and National Clubs. HH Shaikh Khalid also directed to organise a number of initiatives to support innovation and creativity among the youth of the Kingdom, such as the Khalid Bin Hamad Young Novelists Award, Khalid Bin Hamad Theatres Festival For National Clubs, Youth Centres and People With Disability and the Khalid Bin Hamad Contest for Innovation in Artificial Intelligence and the World Robotics Olympiad 2018. His Highness’s initiatives also included the "Champions Without Limits for Military's Injured", an initiative aimed to honour, care for and support injured military personnel, as an appreciation of their sacrifice in serving the leadership and people of Bahrain. HH Shaikh Khalid expressed his utmost gratitude and appreciation to the public authorities, private institutions, NGOs and media for supporting His Highness’s initiatives throughout the past 12 months and positively contributing to its success.