Dubai: The Secretary General of the UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC) is quietly confident that Bahrain will put up a commendable sporting spectacle when it plays host to the inaugural edition of the Gulf Games next month.
"Bahrain has always been an example in this part of the world on how to organise such mega sporting events, and the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), led by its CEO Shaikh Khalid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, has been doing all they can to stage a fantastic Games next month," Saeed Abdul Gaffar Hussain, Secretary General of the UAE NOC, told Gulf News a day before the start of the 69th Executive Office Meeting of the GCC NOCs and the tenth Common Meeting between the GCC Executive Office and the Presidents of GCC Committees at the Armani Hotel today and tomorrow.
The two-day meeting under the chairmanship of the UAE NOC will have a great impact on sports and its organisation in the Gulf region. "This meeting is really important to the entire region as it is the right platform for all member countries to meet, discuss and exchange expertise in the field of sports and its organisation," Hussain said.
Inaugural edition
The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) is set to organise "Bahrain 11", the inaugural edition of the GCC Games and the largest showcase of Gulf sporting talent from October 11-22. The event is expected to attract more than 1,500 athletes from all six member nations, including Paralympics and women's sports.
"We have seen the capability of Bahrain during the Beach Games earlier this year, and going by the presentation made by Bahrain we are confident of a memorable Games next month," Hussain said.
Besides the GCC Games, the officials from the region will also debate on the preparedness of Qatar to stage the next edition of the Pan-Arab Games that will be held in the first half of December. "It will be a fruitful meeting wherein we will be in a position to solve differences that will ultimately benefit our athletes," Hussain said.
