Today, the International School Games "Bahrain 2024" officially begins under the royal patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. This tournament, continuing until October 31, is set to be the largest in its history, with 5,515 students from 71 countries competing in 26 sports, marking a major achievement for Bahrain on the international sports stage.
Bahrain will participate in 17 sports, including athletics, badminton, basketball (3x3), beach volleyball, boxing, chess, fencing, handball, karate, padel, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting, Paralympic athletics, and Paralympic badminton.
The competitions will be hosted at various state-of-the-art sports venues across the Kingdom. Athletics and Paralympic athletics will take place at the Bahrain National Stadium in Isa Sports City from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Table tennis events will run from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at Hall B in Isa Sports City, while karate competitions will be held in Hall C from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm. Other events, such as badminton and basketball (3x3), will be played at Isa Sports City from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, respectively.
Additional competitions include judo at the Bahrain Football Association Hall in Isa Sports City, with events from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Khalifa Sports City will host swimming and paralympic swimming in two sessions, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, along with shooting from 9:15 am to 12:30 pm. Other games, such as chess, rhythmic gymnastics, and boxing, will be held at the American University of Bahrain and Al Ahli Club.
The padel competitions will take place at the "Padel Plus" Hall at the Bahrain Complex, while tennis will be held at the Bahrain Tennis Federation courts in Juffair, starting at 9:00 am. Meanwhile, handball matches will be hosted at the Handball Federation Hall in Umm Al Hassam from 9:00 am onwards.
The Executive Committee has worked tirelessly to ensure all aspects are in place to host the largest school sports tournament in history, which promises high-level competition and will feature talented young athletes from all over the world.