Second GCC fencing tournament to begin

In the presence of Bahrain Royal and Equestrian Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Second GCC fencing tournament to begin this evening which is organized organised by the Bahrain Fencing Association, is set for today in Bahrain. Four countries from the Gulf region are taking part in this four-day event, to be held for the second consecutive year. Teams in the fray are Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and hosts Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia and Oman were unable to form their teams ahead of the championship. Today's opening ceremony, which commences at 6pm, will take place at the Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation's hall in Isa Town. It will be held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports vice-president and Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The Higher Organising Committee is being headed by Bahrain Fencing Association president Shaikh Ebrahim bin Salman Al Khalifa. Other high-ranking fencing officials from the GCC countries, including the UAE Fencing Association president Shaikh Salem Al Qassmi, are attending the opening ceremony. The ceremony will feature a special musical show, to be performed by the Bahrain Defence Force band, highlighting the history and culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain. After the ceremony, the matches will start from 10am with the qualifying matches for three categories using different weapons - epee, sabre and Fleurett. There are 24 players spearheading the Bahrain team - 10 in the senior section, four in the youth event and 10 taking part in the under-14 category. The delegations of the participating teams arrived in Bahrain yesterday. They conducted training sessions at the event's venue. Kuwait's delegation was the first to reach the kingdom last Tuesday EM.