Bahrain continue preparations a week before the West Asian Para Games. WAPF

The Bahrain Paralympic Committee team is preparing for the fourth edition of the West Asian Para Games, which will be held from 26 January to 3 February 2024 in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

The delegation from the archipelagic country of Bahrain, which consists of 36 islands in the Gulf of Bahrain, comprises 55 members, including 41 athletes and six members of the Paralympic Commission. 

This large delegation from a country of around one and a half million people will compete in five different sports: boccia, athletics, basketball, weightlifting, and badminton.

The Bahrain Paralympic Committee for the West Asian Para Games. PARALYMPIC BH
The Bahrain Paralympic Committee for the West Asian Para Games. PARALYMPIC BH

With just a week to go before the start of this major Asian event, it is expected that Bahrain's athletes will have the opportunity to compete against outstanding Paralympic athletes from West Asian countries, thereby boosting the sporting spirit in the region. The cultural and sporting exchange will also help to strengthen and inspire the athletes for the future.

Established in 2006, the West Asia Region is one of the six regions of the Asian Paralympic Committee. Since then, it has established an integrated sports system that has successfully brought together the efforts of the twelve countries in the region. 

These countries share many geographical, historical, and cultural links, which have been crucial in strengthening a unified approach and a common perspective on the importance and role of Paralympic sport. They have also worked together to develop the sports system for people with disabilities from a technical, administrative and organisational perspective.

These fourth games will continue the sporting legacy of the previous West Asian Para Games, which were successfully held in Bahrain in May 2022. The second edition was held in Jordan's capital Amman in 2019, and the United Arab Emirates hosted the inaugural edition in Khorfakkan City in 2017.