Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, the "Challenge Bahrain" international triathlon championship is set to kick off Saturday at 7am at Bahrain Bay, with more than 1,000 athletes from Bahrain and the world to compete.
The organising committee has set the kick-off timings for all the participating categories as follows: 7.30am for Pro Men, 7.35am for Pro Women, 7.45am for Women, 8.05am for aged 50 years and older, 8.10am aged for 18-29 years, 8.15am for aged 30-39 years, 8.20am for aged 40-49 and at 8.25am for Relay.
The start will be at Bahrain Bay with a swim of 1.9km, followed by 90km distance for cycling from Bahrain Bay going through Shaikh Isa Causeway, through Amwaj Islands Road in Al Hidd, passing through Prince Khalifa Causeway and Al Fateh Highway and Sheraton Hotel, then on to the Hamad Town Highway passing Awali then reaching Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
All athletes will then compete in the running competition for a distance of 21.1km.
Meanwhile, the organising committee was keen to implement the directives of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa to finalise all the administrative and executive procedures for the race, which ensures complete success of the event and highlights the Bahrain name in hosting the global triathlon.
Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad expressed great appreciation to HRH the Crown Prince for patronising the event, which will put Bahrain as a centre for the sport of triathlon in the Middle East.
Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad said in a statement "It is a great honour that the tournament will be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, which proves the keenness of the Crown Prince to continue support of events held in Bahrain."
He added: "It is a great joy and pleasure that this event is being held at the same time as the kingdom's celebration of National Day, which doubles everyone's responsibilities to work hard in order to organise a successful global event.
"The great efforts by the organising committee of the event is an important factor for the success of the race."
Source: BNA