Bodybuilders bracing for National Day gala

FORTY two bodybuilders are set to clash in the Sixth National Day Bodybuilding Championship which gets underway tomorrow at 7pm at the Juffair Youth Centre.

The annual event is being held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad's son Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The one-day event promises to be a great feast of muscle power as some of the leading bodybuilders in the Kingdom are in the fray.

"It is a record-breaking event for us and we are sure it will be a smashing success," said the Bahrain Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Association vice-president Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

"It is a great honour for us to host this championship which is regarded as one of the most prestigious events," added Shaikh Salman.

The other highlight of the event is that competition will be held in the junior section for the first time.

Shaikh Salman thanked Shaikh Nasser for backing the association's programmes and attending most of the events. He also thanked the official sponsors of the championship Gulf Air for their support.

Competition in the senior category will start from 65-kg onwards.

One of the top attractions of the event will be Sami Al Haddad who will compete in the 90-kg section.

Al Haddad, the winner of last year's 85-kg category and holder of the best poser and physique trophies, is regarded as one of the best bodybuilders in the country. He joined the national junior team in the late 80s and capped a brilliant run with the 85-kg silver medal at the Asian Games held in Busan last September.

Other top bodybuilders in the fray are Hussain Jassim in the 80-kg section, Mohammed Sabah in the 85-kg contest and Nooh Hassan in the 90-kg heavyweight division.

Jassim is another superb bodybuilder who hit the headlines in 1997 at the Arab Championship in Dubai where he took the gold medal in the 65-kg contest.

Sabah's greatest achievement so far has been his bronze-winning performance at the Busan Games in the 85-kg contest. He has also won a bronze medal in the 1995 Asian championship in China and in the Vietnam Open.

The 1998 world amateur heavyweight champion Mustafa Hassanein of Jordan will be the guest poser at the championship.

Hassanein arrived yesterday from Austria where he is presently residing and was received by bodybuilding committee chairman Ahmed Jassim Hussain and referee committee chairman Younes Salman Assad.

However, Busan Asian Games hero Tarek Al Farsani, who won the 90-kg gold at the Busan Asian Games has ruled himself out of the championship due to an injury.

Fadhel Mousa in the 85-kg section and Hassan Saleh in the 90-kg are also out with injuries.

Other guests attending the event include International Federation for Bodybuilders vice-president Dr Adel Faheem. Judges for the event will be flown in from abroad including Giri Sarkuna from India.

The bodybuilders will be pre-judging at the Juffair Youth Centre today.

The overall champion in the adult category will be awarded a trophy and prize money of BD200 while a trophy and BD150 will be presented for the winner of the junior contest.

The best poser in the adult competition will receive a trophy and BD150 while the junior winner will get BD100. A new award of a trophy and BD200 will be presented to the best developed bodybuilder.

Other valuable prizes up for grabs include three return air tickets to London, Malaysia and Bangkok, donated by sponsors Gulf Air, and mobile phones.

Tickets priced BD2.5, BD2 and BD1.5 are available at the association premises in Umm-Al Hassam from 9am until 1pm and from 4.30pm until 8pm. For more information contact the association on 7440435.