The BOC has offered young athletes of various national teams free tickets to the upcoming Under-19 AFC Football Championships ©BOC

The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) has offered young athletes of various national teams free tickets to the upcoming under-19 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Championships, scheduled to run from October 13 to 30 in the Gulf nation.

National team members with "academic excellence", as well as their parents, were presented with tickets as part of a special reception ceremony at the BOC headquarters in Seef.

This first-of-its-kind initiative was revealed by the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) Marketing Committee chairman Aref Al Mannai during his visit to the BOC offices with tournament mascot Qanas.

National team members with academic excellence, as well as their parents, were presented with tickets as part of a special reception ceremony ©BOC
National team members with academic excellence, as well as their parents, were presented with tickets as part of a special reception ceremony ©BOC

Al Mannai noted that the BFA had coordinated with the BOC to distribute the tickets to the athletes "as soon as possible" so they can now attend one of Asia’s top football tournaments.

The 2016 AFC Under-19 Championship will be the 39th edition of the competition.

A total of 16 teams will play in the tournament, which acts as the AFC qualifier for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

Hosts Bahrain will play Thailand, South Korea and Saudi Arabia in Group A, with North Korea, United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Vietnam colliding in Group B.

Qatar, Japan, Yemen and Iran have been drawn in Group C with Uzbekistan, China, Australia and Tajikistan contesting Group D.

The Qataris are the current champions after they won the previous edition of the event in 2014, in Myanmar, beating North Korea in the final 1-0.