Manama, Bahrain, July 8, 2021: The Vice President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, His Highness Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, and other senior officials of the NOC, the General Authority of Sport and the Bahrain Handball Association witnessed the final preparation of the men's handball team bound for the Tokyo Olympics.
The national handball team, which will be appearing for the first time at the Olympics, played a friendly match against Estonia on Wednesday, July 7.
Sheikh Isa met the players and officials of the team and conveyed the greetings of the President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who is also First Vice President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports.
The NOC Vice President wished the team all the best at the Tokyo Olympics and urged the players to conduct themselves with honour and to be armed with a fighting spirit and determination so as to proudly carry Bahrain’s reputation at regional, continental and international level.
He called for the players to be ambassadors for their homeland in the Olympics, especially since the attention of the entire sports world would be on Tokyo.
Sheikh Isa expressed his great confidence in the ability of the players to excel and overcome all challenges, and pointed out that being the only Asian nation to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in men's handball, alongside host Japan, was itself a huge achievement.
He also praised the efforts of the Bahrain Handball Association in supporting the players and commended the team on their performances in the series of friendly matches against Estonia.
The Vice President furthermore applauded the Bahrain Olympic Committee for the support provided to the handball team as they prepare to make history.
