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Bodybuilding fans are pumped up for the 62nd IFBB World Men's Bodybuilding Championship and Congress taking place at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre today and tomorrow.
The event, being held in the region for the first time, began with the weigh-in yesterday.
General Organisation of Youth and Sports (Goys) president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, along with the organising committee of the Bahrain Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Association, welcomed members of the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) and participants who arrived in the kingdom earlier this week.
He said: "We are very proud that the International Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation has given us the trust and confidence to host the championship in our kingdom." More than 70 countries are participating in this year's championship and the committee is expecting about 15,000 spectators to attend.
Competitors have been arriving from Europe, Asia and the Middle East and national federations are permitted to enter a team of up to nine competitors, with no more than two contestants in the same category.
The Bahrain team is made up of nine members including light-heavyweight category (upto 90kg/198lbs) defending champion Tariq Al Farsani. The winners of each weight category will also qualify to compete for the overall title of Mr Universe and will be recognised as professional bodybuilders.
Bahrain bodybuilding association president Mohammed Abdulrahim Abdulla said: "I have high hopes for my boys as they have been training very hard and are at the top of their game. I hope we win or at least reach the top three.
"However, the aim of this championship is not about winning, it is about strengthening our bond with the other federations. At the end of the day the IFBB is a family."
IFBB vice-president Datuk Paul Chua inspected the facilities prior to the upcoming event and has great faith in the Bahrain association's president. He said: "His record in organising the Asian Bodybuilding Championships in 2004 speaks volumes about his management ability."
The other Bahraini participants are: Flyweight (upto 60 kg/ 132 lbs) - Abbas Makki; bantamweight (upto 65 kg/143 lbs) - Arafat Yaqoub Yousef and Faisal Abdullah Salman; lightweight (upto 70 kg/154 lbs) - Sayed Faisal Sayed Hussain and Bader Sultan; welterweight (upto 75 kg/165 lbs) - Hussain Jassim Ismael; heavyweight (upto 100kg/220lbs) - Nouh Hassan; and super heavyweight (over 100kg/220lbs) - Hassan Saleh.
The championship will have full TV coverage with retransmissions to over 100 channels worldwide, including Eurovision and Eurosport satellite.
Tickets for the pre-judging and the final, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 6pm, in Hall One, is available at The Centre, the Goys premises and Bahrain Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Association office from 4pm to 8pm and are priced at BD10, BD5 and BD3.
