HM King patronises National Football Team triumph celebration

Manama Dec. 11 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa patronised today, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, a major celebration on the occasion of Bahrain National Football Team winning the 24th Gulf Cup. The ceremony was organised at the National Action Charter Monument by the Ministry of Youth and Sport Affairs, in cooperation with other ministries. Greeted by a host of students on arrival, HM the King was welcomed by his Personal Representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs, National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Youth and Sports (SCYS) His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, SCYS First Deputy Chairman and President of Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Education Minister Dr. Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Youth and Sport Affairs Ayman Tawfeeq Al-Moayed and President of Bahrain Football Association Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. HM the King gave the following speech: “In the name of God, the Most Passionate, the Most Merciful Honorable guests Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you To Bahrain’s outstanding heroes of Bahrain: I greet you with the most beautiful greeting on this historic occasion that brought joy to the hearts of all the people of Bahrain. I congratulate you for your well-deserved victory, which came as a very important message that exemplified the ability of our loyal people to compete with a high sense of responsibility and an advanced degree of discipline in all fields and to preserve the spirit of national unity in the ascension to the summits of achievements and as we move forward towards our brighter future. We would like, on this auspicious and opportune occasion, to thank you for representing us all well and to salute the great and dedicated efforts of the national team leaders and the technical and administrative staff in providing all forms of support to our national team, which helped them reach this advanced stage of performance and accomplish successive achievements in various competitions and championships. We are pleased to confer the National Action Medal on our Bahrain heroes in recognition of their great achievement and to motivate them to continue their sporting distinctions. In conclusion, we reiterate our congratulations to everyone, and while we congratulate ourselves on our achievement, we also greet our brothers who participated in the Gulf Cup on the high level of performance and competitiveness that qualify them to participate in the most important international competitions. Thank you again, and we wish Bahraini football more opportunities for excellence and achievement. Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.” HH Shaikh Nasser made the following remarks: “In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful Your Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, may God protect you Your Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister Your Highnesses Honorable guest The Heroes of the Kingdom of Bahrain Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you Allow me, Your Majesty, on this occasion and within this beautiful and spontaneous atmosphere, to talk about our historical achievement that will call for further accomplishments with the will of God and will continue for many years to come and will reach higher levels thanks to the support of Your Majesty. What has been achieved in this Golden Age is the result of years of work during your glorious reign and that started with instilling specific values in the young men and women standing in front of Your Majesty today. Your Majesty have laid down the right basis thanks to your insightful view and because you believed in your people and their abilities and gave them all the support. Today, you are witnessing the harvest of your efforts and your great support. Such a noble support from Your Majesty is a trust that all of us here, including hundreds of promising champions, will honor. Your Majesty, allow me to use this platform to answer a frequently asked question: What do you do for players and athletes who won medals at home and abroad? Do you all know why I have this Razji flower? Are you aware of its significance? It represents people who sacrificed their lives for this kingdom. Today, Your Majesty, your sons and daughters in the sports field are doing their best, guided by their love for the nation, their sacrifice for the nation and their loyalty to the nation. We offer all that we have for this nation. We are either its heroes or its martyrs. There are no other options. The second point, Your Majesty, is that Bahrainis are in their essence pure gold. In this regard, I wholeheartedly thank those who did not have the opportunity today to be by my side and who are the reason for me standing before your Majesty. Thanks to their passion, sincerity and dedication, we celebrate this historic achievement on a day of national pride. In this regard, I must pay tribute to your son, His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, and His Excellency Mr. Ayman bin Tawfiq Al Moayyed, the Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs, for their efforts and their reliable staff. We have seen them in action at the events and and we have seen them confronting challenges and today, we all witness the results of their endeavors,” he said. HH Shaikh Nasser concluded his remarks with a short poem praising the national team. Then, HH Shaikh Nasser presented the Gulf trophy to HM the King who conferred the National Action Medal on the players in tribute for their great achievement. A commemorative photo was taken for HM the King and the national football team. The Education Minister praised the royal speech, describing it as an incentive to bring about further accomplishments. He stressed the great importance given by the Education Ministry to the school sport to hone the talents of gifted students in coordination with the sport associations. He commended the tremendous efforts of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad which yielded many advanced places in various sports. He also hailed holding the celebration at the National Action Charter Monument, being a national landmark embodying the kingdom’s glorious history, honorable present and prosperous future.