Letters

The second swim charity gala for Nepal & Cambodia was held recently, as highlighted in GulfWeekly. The St Christopher’s School Pool was fully packed out with 150 swimmers and a few hundred fans. Swimmers chose to compete in eight different stroke/ distance challenges. For each distance they contributed BD3 to the cause. We also sold cookies, T-shirts, raffle tickets and doughnuts to raise funds. We are very grateful for the support given by our sponsors, namely Air France KLM, Aquacool, APM Terminals, Wahooo, Movenpick, Nando’s, SRX and Gelateria as well as our volunteers and the school staff members who were extremely helpful in making this a great event. Appreciation for the organisers was expressed with a surprise visit by six men of the local Nepalese community who had read reporter Kristian Harrison’s GulfWeekly article! They were so impressed that St Chris students, helped by their swim coach Yavor Zahariev and some volunteering parents were running such a massive event and wanted to show their support. Funds will be used to build schools, provide books,
school materials and employ teachers. We are very grateful to have such a great team making this event happen on our beautiful island of Bahrain. On behalf of the organisers, thanks again. Paul Vrijhof

MÖVENPICK Hotel Bahrain has taken another step closer towards a greener future as it received its Green Globe Certification this month for the fifth year.  The Green Globe represents the highest level of sustainable tourism and was established more than 20 years ago to pave the way for organisations that are committed to  making a positive impact 
on the environment. Tirelessly our colleagues strive to achieve sustainable business decisions year in and year out. Our aim, as a property, is to continuously look for sustainable alternatives. Much research and auditing goes into meeting Green Globe’s criteria and it’s rewarding to see the result in a ‘gold’ recertification this year. Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain was the first Green Globe five-star property in Bahrain and has reached this through a commitment towards preestablished sustainable  criteria and guidelines. Mövenpick Hotels &  Resorts is a great advocate of green practices. Our hospitality company looks forward to continuing its sustainable efforts in protecting the environment and scaling down carbon footprints. Daniel Kaan, GM,   Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain.

The annual Middle East Controllers’ and Pilots’ Cup, (MECAP) recently took place at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club. This is a sevena-side football tournament for air traffic controllers and pilots where we leave the professional relationships aside and battle it out on the football pitch for bragging rights for the next year. Eight teams participated this year including two teams from Turkey, Anatolian Eagles Pilot team and Antalya Air Traffic Controllers, (ATC). The other teams were Kuwait ATC, Saudi Arabia ATC, Oman ATC, Air Arabia from Sharjah and two local teams - Bahrain ATC and the current holders, Gulf Air.

Gulf Air were double champions, winning in Dubai in 2014 and retaining their trophy in Antalya in 2015.  They were in no mood to allow their crown to slip and were determined to make it three-in-a-row but plenty of competition stood in their way with every team eager to win the cup. At the end of the first day’s play Bahrain ATC topped Group A and Gulf Air topped Group B. Day 2 saw a knockout competition and, after several closely fought matches, Bahrain ATC faced Air Arabia in the first semi-final with Gulf Air facing Saudi Arabia in the other semi-final. In the first semi-final, the match was goalless and therefore went to penalty kicks. Isa Al Khamiri, the goalkeeper from team Bahrain, was the hero, saving the final sudden death penalty and then scoring the winner himself. In the other semi-final a single goal was all that separated the teams but Gulf Air found themselves
on the wrong end of a goal and so relinquished their title with Saudi Arabia winning 1-0. The final itself was a very tight match with both sides having several chances but, in the end, a cracking goal from Majed of Saudi Arabia was enough to win the cup and take it back to Dammam. Saudi Arabia won the match 1-0. They were worthy winners and we now look forward to the tournament next year which will take place in Turkey once again. Heartfelt thanks to Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority and SERCO IAL for their continued support, the Elite Seef Residence for looking after the players, Dr Amy Bowzaylo and her team for the medical cover, Bahrain Rugby Foootball Club for  allowing us to use their  facilities and, of course, the players themselves, without whom there would not be a tournament.

See you all next year! Al Beattie, by email.