62 March 2014 www.bahrainthismonth.com happeningssportsrecreation With the sports season in full swing, gear up for this upcoming tournament. It’s time to start practising your serve and perfecting your smash. The badminton season reaches an exciting peak with the Bahrain International Badminton Academy’s (BIBA) Bahrain Open Doubles tournament taking place this month. The matches began last month with a series of preliminary knockouts. “It’s been an excellent season for us so far. There’s great enthusiasm for the sport in the Kingdom and we want to organise more of these tournaments,” says Ashley George, events manager, BIBA. “The response for the doubles tournament was great; we received many more entries than what we had expected. Over 100 players from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have registered. All this is really encouraging.” A nominal fee of BD6 is charged to enter the tournament and the minimum number of entries required to conduct an event is eight. The matches are won based on best-of-three games and are divided into three categories: men, women and mixed. The semi-final and finals take place on March 7 from 4 to 10pm. There are a number of players to look out for, especially George Puthenmadhom and Renin Wilson of Saudi Arabia. The event takes place at New Millennium School’s Kingdom Hall in Zinj. The school has played a pivotal role in the growth of the academy and the events it organises. A grooming ground BIBA, which is promoted by a group of badminton enthusiasts, has been operating at the New Millennium School Kingdom Hall since July 2013. With eight indoor courts available in the evening, the academy has grown in strength and produced many promising badminton players. Some of those are Adnan Ebrahim, Sanjay Jaimy, Rohit Jayakumar, Vishnu Suresh, Nadeem Nahaz and Ben George Joseph, who have shown their talent in tournaments organised in past. The academy provides badminton coaching for children of ages seven to 17 under the supervision of Badminton World Federation (BWF) trained coaches. Almost 60 children have already joined this year’s coaching camp and some of them might even go to Malaysia for advanced coaching. BIBA offers its courts to badminton players for regular practice, and at the moment almost 200 players use them. The association is also planning to conduct coach education and umpire courses for those who are interested in these aspects of the game. E Call 36 454-877. Two’s a Team When? March 7 | Event? Badminton tournament | Venue? New Millennium School When? March 7 Event? 10K Race Venue? Al Areen Palace & Spa Bahrain Road Runners organise the run in association with Nandos. E Email info@ bahrainroadrunners.com. When? March 7 Event? Badminton Tournament Venue? New Millennium School Badminton teams from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia compete for top spot. E Call 36 454-877. When? March 7 and 8 Event? Netball Championship Venue? Bahrain Rugby and Football Club Some of the best netball teams from the region battle for the title. E Call 17 695-809. When? April 3-18 Event? Volleyball tournament Venue? Indian Club The tournament sees volleyball teams from all GCC countries. E Call 39 813-067. When? March 2014 Event? Desert Force Championship Venue? TBA This mixed martial arts championship returns to the Kingdom. E Email [email protected].
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