The event was opened by His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Ak Khalifa, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Vice-President, BOC, who went on to warmly acknowledge the coverage given to the BOC and Bahraini sports by insidethegames.biz when I posed my question during the question-and-answer session.

H.E. Eric Giraud-Telme, Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of Bahrain, spoke of the excellent level of Bahraini–French relations in all sectors, and sports, in particular. He explained that a mere 20 days were left before the opening ceremony, coming exactly one century after Paris hosted its previous Olympics, and that events would take place across France, including historic sites such as Versailles for equestrian disciplines, in addition to some hosted in its overseas territories. 

He went on to speak of the strength of the Bahraini participants, which will comprise 14 athletes and is amongst the highest ranked teams, with eight competing in athletics, two in swimming, two in weightlifting, and one each in wrestling and judo. 

The Ambassador explained the magnitude of the event, which is expected to attract 13 million visitors watching 10,500 athletes, where the gender balance will be 50:50 for the first time in Olympic history. The opening ceremony is expected to be attended by 300,000 and all events will be accessible for the disabled and designed to be environmentally-friendly. 

The Ambassador spoke of various events hosted by the French Embassy in Bahrain to promote awareness of the Olympics, including a 3km run in which he and Faris Mustafa Al-Kooheji, Secretary-General, BOC, participated, amongst others. He concluded that the Paris Olympics would be “festive, popular and spectacular”. 

Faris Mustafa Al-Kooheji, Secretary-General, BOC, explained that work on putting together a Bahrain Olympic Team actually dates back to 1975, and recalled that the hosting of the Bahrain Grand Prix had served to put his country on the international sporting map. 

He commented on the support of the French Ambassador in assisting Bahraini athletes with visas and other aspects to make their participation possible. He also spoke of the deal with Adidas, designers of the Bahraini Olympic Team strip and bags, which were subsequently showcased on the catwalk. 

The history of Bahrain Olympic Team participation, dating back three decades to Los Angeles 1994, was thereafter outlined by Ahmed Mohammed Abdul Ghaffer, Executive Director, BOC and Chef de Mission, who also explained the process for selecting the crème de la crème of athletes for the team. He also discussed the locations for each sporting discipline. 

The press conference concluded with the fielding of journalists’ questions from the floor, during which the Ambassador explained how easy it was for Bahrainis to obtain French visas and to navigate his country to see all events. My question pertained to a possible Bahraini Olympic bid, although this is currently not under consideration, according to His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Ak Khalifa. 

This was a fantastic launch for the Bahrain Olympic Team and all those in attendance wished them success.