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Bahraini bowler Nadia Al Awadhi is ending the year on a high note after clinching two wins locally and setting her sights on sealing victories.
The 38-year-old mother of two boys marked Bahrain’s 50th anniversary by winning first place in the ladies division of a National Day bowling tournament in Awali’s Bapco Club, competing against 11 other fierce females including her tough teammates. More than 60 men and women participated in this event.
“It feels absolutely amazing to win as I had some tough competition from my teammates Layla Janahi, Noora Sultan and especially from Reem Sultan who finished second,” said Al Awadhi, who is a director for one of the telecom companies in the kingdom. “Reem has only been bowling for a few years so this is a great achievement for her too! We also had a few ladies participating from Saudi Arabia, which is very positive.”
She considers this victory a domino effect after bowling over the competition in the Late Abdulla bin Ahmed Nass Championship held at Funland in September. She won the ladies division in that contest too, which featured participants from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and the Philippines.
“I was lucky enough to win and it was really good preparation for the National Day tournament,” added Al Awadhi, who won gold and was crowned the Women’s Masters Champion in the Arab Bowling Championship in Egypt in 2019.
The Bahrain ladies and men’s teams also participated in the IBF Super World Bowling Championships held in UAE in November, training intensely for two months before this event.
“The team and I performed very well at the championship,” added Al Awadhi who has been encouraging other Bahraini women and girls to join the sport over the years.
“As a team we made history for Bahrain because we made it to the round of 32, which is the second round in all of the events – singles, doubles, trios and team events. We have always gone and never even made the first round, so that was brilliant. Now that we have had this experience, we would really like to continue to put Bahrain on the map at these large scale events.”
Al Awadhi, a member of the Ladies National Bowling Team for more than 25 years, is currently practicing with her teammates to refine and improve their game in order to compete at an international level.
“In the short term, Covid-19 permitting, we hope to compete in regional events including the GCC Women’s Games if bowling is included as a sport, the Arab Bowling Championships and other international open championships,” she explained. The dates and host are yet to be decided for the Arab Bowling Championship.
Al Awadhi has been bowling since she was seven at Bapco Club during the Friday morning children’s league. Her parents were active bowlers at the time and she grew up in a bowling community. Her husband Naser Hasan also bowls and her sons Sami and Rayaan are developing their love for the 10-pin target sport.
She started playing for the national team when she was 14 and first competed at the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in Egypt in 1997. She has participated in numerous championships and tournaments over the past 20 years, nabbing a number of gold medals in regional competitions during this time.
According to Al Awadhi, none of her achievements would have been possible without the support of Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president. She also credits the efforts of Shaikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Bahrain Olympic Committee board member, women’s sport committee chairwoman and member of the International Olympic Committee’s Women in Sport Commission.
“Shaikha Hayat continues to be a source of inspiration for all of us women in sport and her dedication and passion for women’s sports is unparalleled, always striving to elevate and spotlight Bahraini and all women in sport on the regional and international stage,” said Al Awadhi. “A special thanks and appreciation is also extended to the BOC Secretary General Mohammed Al Nusuf and the Bahrain Bowling Association.”
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