BiGiE
August 31st, 2004, 07:09 AM
FIVE disabled Bahraini athletes left for Athens, Greece, last night to take part in the Paralympic Summer Games 2004.
Hussain Ahmed Mahdi, Sadiq Ali Nimah, Ayman Alheddi, Ahmed Kamal and Ahmed Abbas have been selected by the Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation (BDSF) to represent Bahrain in the global event, which follows the Olympics 2004.
The athletes, who are taking part in powerlifting and athletics, are being accompanied by BDSF managing director Essam Kamal and coaches Subah Althawadi, Abdulla Al Dakheel and Ebrahim Jaffer.
For the first time in the Paralympics, Bahrain is also sending two officials to the games as powerlifting referees.
They are Nader Al Shaikh and Salman Jassim.
The games are being held from September 17 to 28 in the same venues used for the Olympic Summer Games.
The delegation will be spending the next two weeks acclimatising to the weather and training for their respective sports.
More than 4,000 disabled athletes from over 140 countries are to compete for 525 gold medals in 19 sports.
The Bahraini athletes' training in Greece have been sponsored by the General Organisation for Youth and Sports (Goys) and Batelco.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) organises, supervises and co-ordinates the Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, the delegation for the Paralympics 2004 and the Pan Arab Games, Algeria, received an unexpected boost from Gulf Air and International Foto Services.
Gulf Air has sponsored the hundreds of T-shirts for the athletes and their supporters.
The shirts, featuring Ayman, were handed over by Gulf Air Bahrain general manager Ali Abbas Qannati to BDSF in a ceremony held at the airline's office in Manama.
"We are extremely happy to support our special athletes who contribute their own share to keep our country's name always in a higher level in international sporting events," said Mr Qannati.
International Foto Services managing director Baqer Saleh Al Khor also printed special T-shirts, this time featuring Ahmed Kamal.
Mr Al Khor also praised the effort put forward by the BDSF under the leadership of its president Major General Shaikh Daij bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and his team.
Hussain Ahmed Mahdi, Sadiq Ali Nimah, Ayman Alheddi, Ahmed Kamal and Ahmed Abbas have been selected by the Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation (BDSF) to represent Bahrain in the global event, which follows the Olympics 2004.
The athletes, who are taking part in powerlifting and athletics, are being accompanied by BDSF managing director Essam Kamal and coaches Subah Althawadi, Abdulla Al Dakheel and Ebrahim Jaffer.
For the first time in the Paralympics, Bahrain is also sending two officials to the games as powerlifting referees.
They are Nader Al Shaikh and Salman Jassim.
The games are being held from September 17 to 28 in the same venues used for the Olympic Summer Games.
The delegation will be spending the next two weeks acclimatising to the weather and training for their respective sports.
More than 4,000 disabled athletes from over 140 countries are to compete for 525 gold medals in 19 sports.
The Bahraini athletes' training in Greece have been sponsored by the General Organisation for Youth and Sports (Goys) and Batelco.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) organises, supervises and co-ordinates the Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, the delegation for the Paralympics 2004 and the Pan Arab Games, Algeria, received an unexpected boost from Gulf Air and International Foto Services.
Gulf Air has sponsored the hundreds of T-shirts for the athletes and their supporters.
The shirts, featuring Ayman, were handed over by Gulf Air Bahrain general manager Ali Abbas Qannati to BDSF in a ceremony held at the airline's office in Manama.
"We are extremely happy to support our special athletes who contribute their own share to keep our country's name always in a higher level in international sporting events," said Mr Qannati.
International Foto Services managing director Baqer Saleh Al Khor also printed special T-shirts, this time featuring Ahmed Kamal.
Mr Al Khor also praised the effort put forward by the BDSF under the leadership of its president Major General Shaikh Daij bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and his team.