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THE search is on for the cream of young athletic talent to enable them to rise to the top in their chosen discipline.
Coaches are banking on uncovering the next golden star to follow in the footsteps of sprint ace Ruqaya Al Ghasra or middle-distance maestro Rashid Ramzi following the investment into the sport by a leading finance house.
The Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA) 'talent identification programme' represents an important first step for young people who have aspirations to pursue sports at a higher level.
The initiative is conducted in conjunction with the International Athletics Association and the Ministry of Education and is considered as one of the most sophisticated initiatives ever to test the children's athletics potential.
KFH-Bahrain says the programme is in line with its objectives to help develop athletics in the kingdom and has offered its commitment to sponsor the cause. Scouting for students with strong potential is currently underway. Schools across Bahrain are being visited with the aim of evaluating the sporting prowess of more than 50,000 students.
The programme is structured in two stages, the first tests students from the age of 10 to 14 years old from public and private schools. It examines core capabilities of speed, endurance and upper and lower body strength. It also measures the students' body shape and mass. Organisers are visiting schools across Bahrain conducting assessments of eligible athletes.
Successful students from the first stage will be eligible to move on to the next level. Once accepted, the BAA coaches and monitors for athletic ability, competitiveness and mental attitude.
BAA president Shaikh Tala bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said: "The talent identification programme is an important part of a wider development programme for Bahrain.
"It not only aims to discover students with potential and ability but also encourages participants to perform to their full potential.
"Even though only a select number of students will be eligible to join the advance training programme, I believe everyone benefits from taking part."
The second stage will be conducted during this month, with the final group of students participating in an overall potential assessment. The finalists will be nominated for national team potential and embrace the challenges set by the association's "elite profile and high standards".
The programme is also designed to generate valuable data about the overall health of school-children in Bahrain, which helps local federations with their recruitment and community engagement activities.
Abdulhakeem Al Khayyat, general manager of KFH-Bahrain, said: "Being active within the communities we serve is at the core of what we strive to achieve. It is essential to be an integral part of the community, playing a responsible role and contributing something back.
"We've supported a number of sports-related events during the last few years, and are dedicated to maintain our involvement in this way.
"Currently, we have committed our support for one year. However, it is our intention to become a long term partner with the BAA, so that we can contribute even greater in the nurturing of the talent of Bahrain's top athletes. We believe that supporting athletics is a perfect match for us as it mirrors the KFH-Bahrain values for performance and dedication."
Shaikh Talal emphasised why this partnership is so important: "Our relationship with KFH-Bahrain will enable us to build upon our current success; the future of Bahrain athletics is very much linked with young people, and we will be utilising this sponsorship to invest in identifying and training young talents towards developing a world class team and infrastructure."
