Sport in Bahrain

Mixed Martial Arts event in Bahrain

Mixed martial arts is legalised in Bahrain. Bahrain MMA Federation (BMMAF) has been set up under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.[2] The development of MMA in the nation is convened through KHK MMA, which owns Brave Combat Federation which is the largest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the Middle East.[3] Bahrain hosted Amateur World Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019 in association with International Mixed Martial Arts Federation. Bahrain will be the first Asian and Arab country to host the amateur MMA championship.[4]

Team Bahrain is also the number one ranked MMA team in the world, as well as having the pound-for-pound number one amateur fighter in the world, two-time Super Heavyweight world champion Pasha Kharkhachaev [5]

BRAVE Combat Federation was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.[6] The organization based in Bahrain has showcased 34 events to date,[7] in 19 different countries around the world, including five of its best shows taking place in the Kingdom itself.

Since its inception, the promotion has been known for empowering the sport throughout the world,[8] mixing local fighters with international stars in all the territories it lands, as well as collaborating with local federations and organizations towards the empowerment of the sport at a local level.

Event	Country	Location	Date
Brave 34	Slovenia	Halal Tivoli, Ljubljana	19 January 2020
Brave 33	Saudi Arabia	Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah	28 December 2019
Brave 32	Kyrgyzstan	Sport Palace Kozhomkul, Bishkek	14 December 2019
Brave 31	South Africa	Sibaya Casino, Durban	7 December 2019
Brave 30	India	Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad	23 November 2019
Brave 29	Bahrain	Khalifa Sports City Arena, Isa Town	15 November 2019
Brave 28	Romania	Beraria H, Bucharest	28 October 2019
Brave 27	United Arab Emirates	Mubadala Arena, Abu Dhabi	4 October 2019
Brave 26	Colombia	Coliseo Hernán Jaramillo, Salitre, Bogota	7 September 2019
Brave 25	Brazil	Arena Minas Tênis Clube, Belo Horizonte	30 August 2019
Brave 24: London	United Kingdom	Copper Box Arena, London	25 July 2019
Brave 23: Pride and Honor	Jordan	Martyr Rashid Al-Ziyoud Hall, Amman	19 April 2019
Brave 22: Storm of Warriors	Philippines	Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay	15 March 2019
Brave 21	Saudi Arabia	King Abdullah Sports City Indoor Sports Hall, Jeddah	28 December 2018
Brave 20	India	Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad	22 December 2018
Brave 19	South Africa	Johannesburg	8 December 2018
Brave 18	Bahrain	Khalifa Sports City Arena, Isa Town	16 November 2018
Brave 17	Pakistan	Lahore	27 October 2018
Brave 16	United Arab Emirates	Mubadla Arena, Abu Dhabi	21 September 2018
Brave 15	Colombia	Bucaramanga	7 September 2018
Brave 14	Morocco	Tangier	18 August 2018
Brave 13: European Evolution	Northern Ireland	SSE Arena, Belfast	9 June 2018
Brave 12: KHK Legacy	Indonesia	Jakarta	11 May 2018
Brave 11	Brazil	Belo Horizonte	13 April 2018
Brave 10: The Kingdom Rises	Jordan	Prince Hamzah Sporting Hall, Amman	2 March 2018
Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions	Bahrain	Khalifa Sports City Arena, Isa Town	17 November 2017
Brave 8: The Rise of Champions	Brazil	Taruma, Curitiba	12 August 2017
Brave 7: Untamed	Mexico	Caliente Casino, Tijuana	29 July 2017
Brave 6: Kazakhstan	Kazakhstan	Almaty Arena, Almaty	29 April 2017
Brave 5: Go For Glory	India	Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium, Mumbai	23 April 2017
Brave 4: Unstoppable	United Arab Emirates	IPIC Arena, Abu Dhabi	31 March 2017
Brave 3: Battle in Brazil	Brazil	Max Rosenmann Arena, Curitiba	18 March 2017
Brave 2: Dynasty	Bahrain	Khalifa Sports City Arena, Isa Town	2 December 2016
Brave: The Beginning	Bahrain	Khalifa Sports City Arena, Isa Town	23 September 2016

Bahrain has its own top-tier domestic professional football league, the Bahraini Premier League. It features 10 football clubs that play a two-round robin set, with each team playing a total of 18 fixtures.[9] The winners of the domestic championship qualify for the AFC Cup.

The league uses a promotion and relegation system with the Bahraini Classification League, Bahrain's second tier football league. The season usually starts in September and concludes in May, as in other football leagues. The first season was held in 1952. Although games are played on a home and away basis, almost all games are played at the Bahrain National Stadium.

The bottom placed club is relegated with the team finishing second bottom entering a relegation/promotion playoff match. The most successful club in the league's history is Al-Muharraq SC. The current reigning champion of the 2011-2012 football season is Riffa club.[10]

The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on June 10, 2009 in a World Cup qualifier

After Bahrain will host for football a 24 Arabian Gulf Cup, AFC Asian Cup 2009 with World Cup

Bahrain has a professional basketball league, featuring 11 club teams. The top four teams of the league, at the end of the season, move on to the 'Golden Square', where the top seeds play the fourth seeds and the second take on the third in separate best-of-three series. The best-of-five championship series follows.

In addition to the league, a basketball cup, the Zain Bahrain Basketball Cup, is available where the top two teams at the end will then battle for the Cup in a[best-of-three finale. The winner of the cup will represent Bahrain in the Asian Clubs Basketball Championships.[11]

Both the league and cup is sponsored by Zain.[12]

The overall league champions will be given the chance of representing Bahrain in the Arab Club Basketball Championship, held in the following year.[13]

Rugby sevens and full rugby union are played in Bahrain, with the Bahrainis having their own national sevens team. Bahrain's Rugby Football Club was first founded in 1970, as a branch of the local British Club. It has its own rugby league.[14] Bahrain also has its own national sevens rugby team.

Official Poster of the Bahrain Premier League 2018

Professional Cricket is governed by the Bahrain Cricket Association.[15] The sport is largely popular amongst South Asian expatriates in the country.[16] Bahrain has a national cricket team which first international appearance was at the ACC Trophy in 2004, where they failed to progress beyond the first round. They took part in the tournament again in August 2006, putting in a much better performance to finish in 6th place. Earlier in the year they won the ACC Middle East Cup, beating Afghanistan in the final.[17]

In 2018, franchise based T20 cricket was introduced for the first time in Bahrain.[18] Six teams were featured in the first edition of the event. The teams were SRam MRam Falcons, Kalaam Knight-Riders, Intex Lions, Bahrain Super Giants, Four Square Challengers and Awan Warriors.[19]

Bahrain's debut in the ICC World Cricket League was in 2009 when they won the 2009 Global Division Seven tournament and hence advancing to Division Six.[20] They had another strong tournament in Division Six, coming runners up and gaining back to back promotions in the process. In 2010 they competed in Division Five in Nepal.[20] In November 2009 Bahrain played in the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup. They finished bottom of Group B, losing all five of their matches on the process. In the eleventh placed playoff Bahrain defeated China by 93 runs to finish the tournament in eleventh place.

The country also has its own cricket league, with 48 teams and over 750 cricketers playing in the Bahrain Cricket League.[21] The league was founded in 1981 under the name "Junior Cricket League" and initially had 4 teams. By 2010, this had risen to 46.[22]

Horse racing in the Sakhir track

Equestrian sports are one of the most popular sports in the country.[23] Horse riding is governed by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF) which was founded in 2003, having replaced the previous governing body, the Bahrain Equestrian Association.[24] The BREEF is headquartered in the town of Awali, south of the capital Manama.[24] The first ever Endurance racing started on 7 October 2004 with the grand event, of a distance of 120 km, being held on 7 December that year.[24] In 2005, the 'World Championship for Juniors and Young Riders' race was held in Bahrain, attracting international riders and attention.[24]

Bahrain has been a member of the International Equestrian Federation since 1985, a member of the Asian Equestrian Association since 1989 and a member of the Pan-Arab Equestrian Federation since 1990.[24]

The kingdom is home to multiple training stables.[25][26][27]

The podium ceremony of the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Motorsport is one of the most popular sports in Bahrain. Bahrain has a Formula One race-track, which hosted the inaugural Gulf Air Grand Prix on 4 April 2004, the first in an Arab country. This was followed by the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2005. Bahrain hosted the opening Grand Prix of the 2006 season on 12 March of that year. Both the above races were won by Fernando Alonso of Renault. The 2007 event took place on 13, 14 April and 15.[28]

The latest edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix was the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, that occurred despite concerns of the safety of the teams and the ongoing protests in the country.[29] Sebastian Vettel won the race. The race's opponents described the decision to hold the race despite ongoing protests and violence[30] as one of the most controversial Grand Prix in the sport's history.[31][32][33]

In 2006, Bahrain also hosted its inaugural Australian V8 Supercar event dubbed the "Desert 400". The V8s will return every November to the Sakhir circuit. The Bahrain International Circuit also features a full length drag strip where the Bahrain Drag Racing Club has organised invitational events featuring some of Europe's top drag racing teams to try to raise the profile of the sport in the Middle East.[34]

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, runner Maryam Yusuf Jamal became Bahrain's first Olympic medalist when she won a bronze in the women's 1,500m race. Jamal is the first female athlete from a Persian Gulf nation to win an Olympic medal Bahrain will host a 19 Asian Games 2009 there are 8 stadiums are: Northern City Athletics, Durrat Al Bahrain Aquactics, Tree of Life Fencing, Marasi Al Bahrain Beach Volleyball, Bahrain Bay Cycling, Bahrain International Circuit Badmintion and King Fahd Causeway football Stadium and host cities are: Manama, Muharraq, Isa Town, Riffa, Sitra, King Fahd Causeway (Bahraini Side), Durrat Al Bahrain and Diyar Al Muharraq .[35]

• Bahrain Rugby Football Club