Twenty personnel of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) will be travelling to Hyderabad and Mumbai in India this week to compete against some of the world’s top military muscle.

 

More than 3,200 athletes from 89 nations will be taking part in the fourth ‘Conseil International du Sport Militaire’s’ (CISM) Military World Games (MWG).

 

The games will see fierce competition for the 1,076 medals (341 Gold, 341 Silver, 394 Bronze) on offer from October 14-21.

 

Bahrain will be competing in judo, parachuting and athletics – high jump, sprint and shot put.

 

Bahrain opened its medal tally in the last games in Italy with a gold and silver. This year the contingent from the kingdom is larger and there is an expectation of even more glory.

 

While Bahrain wants to take as many medals as possible the challenge straight Ramadan will be an extreme test.

 

Coach Ali Saleh explained: “We generally require intensive training twice a day and the athletes need to be well fed and rested. Travelling out on Id is not ideal but the opportunity to compete and win is something we would not want to miss.”

 

Major Abdul Hakim Al Shino, manager of the military team, added: “It’s an honour that the games have been organised in Asia.

 

“India is a very good friend of Bahrain and we have to support them and make the games a success.

 

“The organisation has been very good. Replies are prompt, there is an excellent website with complete details and there is no bureaucracy or red tape.

 

“We are excited to be travelling. It’s the first time for all of us. We want to experience the culture of India which is known to be a home for thousands of religions and possibly visit the great Taj Mahal.

 

“We are great lovers of good food, which will be difficult to resist especially after Ramadan. I love Hindi films and enjoy watching films of Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai.

 

“The athletes are very excited. We have 18-year old Tariq Mubarak on our team. He along with Yousif Sa’ad Kamel and Belal Mansour Belal had performed very well in the Athletics World Championship in Osaka, Japan. Yousif has a record of 1.43 min in the 800 metres.

 

“Many of our players are currently in Kenya where the conditions for training are better. They will be flying directly to India for the Games.”

 

Salem Nasser, 30, who boasts several gold and silver medals from previous championships, said: “There is a lot of hard work before a competition. We need to be stronger, keep our weight low and work on our power. It’s 100 per cent technique and my coach is my guide.

 

“I love Indian food particularly Kerala rice and fish. Inshallah, I will come back with medals and chocolates for my sons.”

 

Mohammed Farhan, 26, who can cover 100 metres in about 10 seconds, said: “Every competition is a surprise. There are new people and we have to be always prepared. Being in the military we are always prepared for a challenge … and we always want to win.”