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Bahrain will be taking part in the historical Olympic Youth Camp. The camp is an educational and cultural exchange programme under the Olympic flag for young people aged 16 to 18.
Young Bahrainis Fatema Al Harbi, 17, and Rashed Al Majed, 18, will be representing the kingdom in Beijing.
Fatema said: "I am very excited about going. Rashed and I will be educating other teenagers about our culture. I am sure it will be a truly great experience and very enlightening."
The camp is an integral and special part of the Olympic Games with the goal to promote the Olympic spirit for future generations.
It all began at the Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games when King Gustav V of Sweden invited 1,500 Boy Scouts to pitch their tents near the Olympic Stadium and celebrate the Games.
Two World Wars interrupted the Olympic Youth Camp (oyc) but since the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games the camp has been hosted in almost every Olympics.
About 480 teenagers will attend, 410 of those being from overseas and for the first time in the history of the OYC, 10 disabled youths will take part in the camp.
The National Olympic Committees from 196 countries and regions will participate in the camp making it the largest of its kind.
With the slogan of 'Youth Creates Future', the 12-day fixture will give the young people first-hand experience of the Olympic ideals of peace, enterprise, teamwork, sportsmanship, fair play and participation. It will also give them a better understanding of China's culture.
All campers will be present at the opening ceremony and watch the Games, visit the Olympic Village, stay with local families and take part in volunteer work.
Also part of the camping experience is to travel to famous historical sites and learn Chinese kung fu and calligraphy among other things. Twenty of the youngsters will partake in the Olympic torch relay in Hebei, Henan, Tianjin and Beijing. Other activities will include planting trees near the Great Wall and Mini Olympic Games.
