HM KING HAMAD RETURNS HOME AFTER ATTENDING ENDURANCE RACE

MANAMA DEC. 14 (BNA)-- HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA ARRIVED AT THE SILEEN AREA ON A VISIT DURING WHICH HE ATTENDED PART OF THE ENDURANCE RACE HELD TODAY AS PART OF THE 15TH ASIAN GAMES IN DOHA.

HIS MAJESTY WAS RECEIVED BY AMIR OF QATAR SHAIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL THANI AND CROWN PRINCE SHAIKH TAMEEM BIN HAMAD AL THANI. HIS MAJESTY THEN ATTENDED A LUNCHEON HELD BY THE AMIR OF QATAR IN HIS HONOR. IT WAS ATTENDED BY UAE VICE PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER, RULER OF DUBAI SHAIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOOM, QATARI CROWN PRINCE, SHAIKH TAMEEM, OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF ASIA (OCA) PRESIDENT SHAIKH AHMED AL FAHAD AL AHMED AL SABAH, MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION ACCOMPANYING HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD AND A NUMBER OF QATARI OFFICIALS. FOLLOWING THAT, HIS MAJESTY THE KING, THE QATARI CROWN PRINCE AND THE UAE VICE PRESIDENT HEADED TO THE ENDURANCE VILLAGE NEAR SILEEN WHERE BAHRAIN ROYAL EQUESTRIAN AND ENDURANCE FEDERATION (BREEF) PRESIDENT SHAIKH NASSER BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA AND FIRST DEPUTY PRESIDENT SHAIKH KHALID BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA WERE HONORED TO GREET HIS MAJESTY. HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD CONGRATULATED KING NASSER ON WINNING THE SILVER MEDAL OF THE FIRST ASIAN GAMES EQUESTRIAN ENDURANCE RACE AND PRAISED HIS EFFORTS AND THOSE OF THE BAHRAINI TEAM, WISHING THEM FURTHER SUCCESS. HIS MAJESTY, THEN, PRESENTED FIRST PLACE WINNER SHAIKH RASHID BIN MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOOM FROM THE UAE WITH HIS GOLD MEDAL, SHAIKH NASSER WITH HIS SILVER MEDAL AND UAE JOCKEY SULTAN BIN SULAYEM WITH HIS BRONZE MEDAL. THE UAE WON A GOLD, BAHRAIN A SILVER AND QATAR A BRONZE AT THE LEVEL OF ENDURANCE TEAMS WHICH WERE PRESENTED BY UAE DEPUTY PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER AND RULER OF DUBAI, SHAIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM. THEN, HM THE KING RECEIVED BAHRAINI CHAMPIONS WHO CLINCHED GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE MEDALS AT THE 15TH ASIAN GAMES AND CONGRATULATED THEM ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS, TIPPING THEIR VICTORIES A SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR BAHRAIN AND HAILING THEIR BEST REPRESENTATION OF THE KINGDOM AT REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPORTING GATHERINGS. HM ALSO THANKED IN PARTICULAR THE GENERAL ORGANIZATION FOR YOUTH AND SPORTS (GOYS) FOR ITS TREMENDOUS EFFORTS WHICH WERE BEHIND BAHRAINS EXCELLENCE AT THE ASIAN GAMES 2006 , WISHING THEM EVERY FUTURE SUCCESS. HM THE KING ALSO EXTENDED THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THE STATE OF QATAR FOR THE GREAT POTENTIALS IT PUT AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE PARTICIPANTS, EXPRESSING ADMIRATION OF THE SOUND ORGANIZATION IT DEMONSTRATED WHICH, HE SAID, REFLECTED THE STATES PROGRESS ALONG WITH THE OTHER GCC COUNTRIES IN THE FIELD OF SPORT. THE CURRENT SUCCESS OF QATAR ENTITLES IT TO HOST THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES, HM NOTED, WISHING QATAR EVERY GOOD LUCK TO HOST THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES WHICH, HE SAID, WILL REINFORCE THE GULF POSITION ON THE WORLD MAP. HM THE KING ALSO PRAISED THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE GCC STATES IN THE CURRENT ASIAN GAMES 2006, SAYING THAT THESE VICTORIES WERE REGARDED AS BAHRAINS FOR THE COMMON GOALS AND DESTINY AS WELL AS THE EXCELLENT TIES BONDING THEM. BAHRAINS PARTICIPATION IN DOHA ASIAN GAMES WAS MADE DELIBERATELY TO SUCCEED THE EVENT WHICH WAS HELD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AN ARAB COUNTRY, EXPRESSING DELIGHT OVER THE IMPACT THE SIZE OF PARTICIPATION HAD ON THE NUMBER OF MEDALS WON BY THE KINGDOM THAT OUTNUMBERED THE MEDALS CLINCHED IN ALL PREVIOUS CONTESTS TOGETHER. HM THE KING THANKED THE BAHRAINI DELEGATION FOR ITS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS AND QATAR FOR THE SOUND ORGANIZATION, WISHING BOTH SIDES FURTHER PROGRESS. ON THE OCCASION, SHAIKH NASSER EXTENDED SINCERE THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO HM THE KING FOR THE SUPPORT HE HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY OFFERING TO BAHRAINI EQUESTRIANS AT INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SPORTING GATHERINGS AND PUSHING THEM FORWARD TOWARDS FURTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO PROMOTE BAHRAIN WORLDWIDE. MTQ 14-DEC-2006 23:33

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