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The Bahrain Hockey Association is all set to draw the curtains on what has been a spectacular year for field hockey in Bahrain.
The 1st Bahrain Open Rink Hockey Tournament is all set to be held for November 18 and 19 during Eid Al Adha.
The competition, staged at the rink hockey ground at the Indian Club, will be open to men and women and will be played in a five-a-side format. Teams from Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, India as well as Bahrain are expected to participate.
This tournament follows the hugely successful Eid rink hockey tournament which was held in September and won by the Indian Club.
Stephen Pereira and Arthur Castellino, two top professional referees from India, will officiate. They come with a wealth of experience having umpired tournaments for the Mumbai Hockey Association as well the Super Leagues of Mumbai.
"They will be specially brought in to referee the tournament keeping in mind the international standards that will be followed throughoutm" a BHA spokesman explained.
An umpiring workshop, which will be conducted by the Mumbai stalwarts, is also planned for local referees.
"We are extremely delighted that the Bahrain Hockey Association is taking positive steps towards the professional management of hockey in Bahrain and it is our pleasure to be a part of it," said Mr Pereira.
BHA president Garner Vaz also pointed out that the tournament will be an 'experience to enjoy' for the teams and their families with food stalls, DJs, interactive games for spectators as well as professionally-shaded spectator seating.
Official sponsors for the tournament are Spectrum Group, Coca Cola, Radio Voice and GulfWeekly.
The tournament will start at 9am and will feature round-robin matches leading up to knockout stages and the finals.
Team registration is open to men and women teams with forms available on www.facebook.com/bahrainhockeyassociation or at the Indian Club reception. For any sponsorship / tournament / team-related matters, contact Jude D'Souza on 39658618 or email bahrainhockeyassocn@gmail.com
