Bahrain sports: Mixed Martial Arts team return home
Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa Mixed Martial Arts (KHK MMA) Amateurs team returned yesterday from the United Kingdom where they competed at the First United Kingdom Mixed Martial Arts Amateurs Championship at Wolverhampton University in Birmingham.
Bahrain took one bronze medal in the prestigious event thanks to team member Hussain Ayyad, who finished an impressive third in the 57kg category.
The team is owned by Supreme Council for Youth and Sports First Deputy Chairman and Bahrain Athletics Association President Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The event was organised by International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) with the cooperation of UK MMA Federation.
High-ranking Bahrain sports officials, including Bahrain Olympic Committee general secretary Abdulrahman Askar, gave a special welcome to the team on return.
Askar said the result underlines the success of the team’s plan to achieve positive outcome at different international challenges.
He said the Birmingham championship was a great opportunity for the team to get more experience among international-level participants, and stressed that winning a bronze medal was significant for the team, which targets more victories in future competitions.
The BOC general secretary added that this medal has boosted the team’s morale for more achievements in the future and congratulated the team members for the outstanding result while wishing them success.
Bronze medallist Ayyad expressed his happiness on winning the bronze medal for Bahrain in his first official participation in an international event. He thanked Shaikh Khalid for his continuous support to the team, which is a big motivation for the team to achieve more positive results.