Bahrain Golf Tournament Planned To Go Ahead

Whilst the debate on the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix continues to churn, malady this weekend’s inaugural Bahrain Invitational golf tournament will go ahead as planned according to elected organisers for the event.

Growing concerns over the security situation in the country has surrounded the country in recent times, cough leading to F1 stakeholder’s debating the status of the April 22 race. However, order Bahrain Invitational organisers appear to have no qualms regarding its event, which is set to attract leading stars from the golf and wider sporting world. A Bahrain Invitational spokesperson told BBC Sport: “Golf in Bahrain has a long history going back to 1934. We are looking forward to welcoming all the participants and safety around the event is assured.”

The Invitational will see four of the world’s best golfers together with four world renowned sports celebrities in the Kingdom’s first Pro-Celeb-Am competition. The Bahrain Invitational, a two-day celebration of golf and sports, including a competitive golf tournament organised by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), in conjunction with IMG Worldwide, will take place from April 13-14.

PGA Tour heavyweights and European Tour champions Paul Casey, Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjorn as well as LPGA star Suzann Pettersen will lead teams in the unique tournament format, which will be held at the Royal Golf Club’s Montgomerie Course, which opened in 2009. In addition to the golf tournament, a number of community sports coaching sessions involving approximately 250 school children will take place in Bahrain this weekend. American football icon Joe Montana, football legends Gianluca Vialli and Ruud Gullit along with former tennis player Tim Henman are also set to attend.

BOC secretary general Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, said: “It is wonderful that Bahrain is carving an international name for itself in the sporting sphere. The Bahrain Invitational is just one of the great events that showcase the Kingdom as a high quality destination for sporting competitions, while also highlighting Bahrain as a destination for both business and leisure. We can truly be proud of Bahrain’s world-class sporting facilities and the economic growth and development that helped build them.”

Guy Kinnings, global co-managing director of IMG, added: “Bahrain is fast becoming one of the world’s leading players in staging large scale events. We are continuing to build on the Formula One success, the recent Bahrain International Air Show and Bahrain Boat Show, and now the Bahrain Invitational. We know it’s going to be a fantastic event and look forward to welcoming some of the world’s most inspirational sporting figures.”