THE third Asian Youth Games, to be held in Bahrain later this year, is set to feature an increased programme of 24 sports, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has confirmed.
The mega sporting event, which will see the continent’s best up-and-coming athletes in action, is scheduled to be held from October 22 to 31.
Boxing and camel racing are the latest additions to the list of sports. The others include athletics, badminton, basketball 3x3, equestrian (endurance and jumping), e-sports, futsal, golf, handball, judo, jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, Muay, road cycling, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, wrestling, weightlifting, kabaddi, volleyball, and teqball.
Set to oversee the boxing competition in the kingdom will be Asian Boxing, who will be working with the OCA and the Bahrain Asian Youth Games Organising Committee. This follows the International Olympic Committee’s recognition of World Boxing as the new international federation, and Asian Boxing as the newly formed confederation.
“This is an exciting moment for boxing in Asia,” Asian Boxing president Pichai Chunhavajira was quoted as saying. “The Asian Youth Games 2025 serve as a crucial stepping stone for young athletes on their path to international success, and we are honoured to collaborate with the OCA in delivering a world-class event that upholds the integrity and spirit of the sport.”
Camel racing has joined the programme after the OCA officially recognised last month World Camelids Sports as the governing body of camel racing in the continent.
Camel racing will be a unique addition to the Asian Youth Games, and its inclusion was confirmed in a letter from OCA director general Hussain Al Musallam to the presidents and secretary generals of the OCA’s 45 National Olympic Committees.
Bahrain was announced in December of last year as the new host of the third Asian Youth Games following the withdrawal of original host Uzbekistan. This edition is linked to the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal in 2026.
Al Musallam noted in his letter that the OCA has decided to restrict the age limit to 14 to 17 years for the sports that are included in the competition programme of the Youth Olympic Games. However, for the sports which are not in Dakar, the age limit will be increased to 18.
The third Asian Youth Games will feature thousands of athletes, both boys and girls, representing an expected 45 countries. The event is highly regarded as the second-largest multi-sport meeting in the continent, surpassed only by the Asian Games at the senior level.
A number of venues across the kingdom are slated to host the various sports, including Isa Sports City and the National Stadium in Riffa, Khalifa Sports City in Isa Town, Bahrain International Circuit and Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir, The Royal Golf Club, and possibly Exhibition World Bahrain, among others.
Bahrain’s hosting of the Asian Youth Games follows the grand success of the ISF Gymnasiade Bahrain 2024, held last October. The ISF Gymnasiade, held in cooperation with the International School Sport Federation (ISF), featured more than 5,000 participants, including 4,000 athletes, from more than 80 countries.
This year’s Asian Youth Games follows the first edition held in 2009 in Singapore with 43 nations competing in nine sports. The second took place in Nanjing, China in 2013 with 45 countries participating in 16 sports. Succeeding editions in 2017 and 2021 were cancelled.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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