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The Bahrain Athletics Association talent identification programme represents an important first step for young people who have aspirations to pursue sports at a higher level.

The initiative is conducted in conjunction with The International Athletics Association and the Ministry of Education and is considered as one of the most sophisticated programmes to test the children's athletic potential. The programme is in line with KFH-Bahrain's objectives to help develop athletics in the Kingdom and have offered its commitment to sponsor such a good cause.

The scouts for students with strong athletic potential are currently underway and visiting schools across Bahrain with an estimated evaluation of over 50 thousands students. The programme is structured in two stages, the first tests students from the age of 10 to 14 years old from public and private schools.

It examines core capabilities of speed, endurance and upper and lower body strength. It also measures the students' body shape and mass. Organizers are visiting schools across Bahrain conducting assessments of eligible athletes.

Successful students from the first stage will be eligible to move on to the next level. Once accepted, the Bahrain Athletics Association coaches and monitors for athletic ability, competitiveness and mental attitude.

Sheikh Tala bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa President of Bahrain Athletics Association, commented: 'The talent identification programme is an important part of a wider development programme for Bahrain. It not only aims to discover students with potential and ability but also encourages participants to perform to their full potential. Even though only a select number of students will be eligible to join the advance training program, I believe everyone benefits from taking part.'

The second stage will be conducted during May, with the final group of students participating in an overall potential assessment. The finalists will be nominated for National Team potential, and embrace the challenges set by the Association's elite profile and high standards.

The programme is also designed to generate valuable data about the overall health of school-children in Bahrain, which helps local federations with their recruitment and community engagement activities.

Mr. Abdulhakeem Al Khayyat, General Manager of KFH-Bahrain said "Being active within the communities we serve is at the core of what we strive to achieve. It is essential to be an integral part of the community, playing a responsible role and contributing something back. We've supported a number of sports-related events during the last few years, and are dedicated to maintain our involvement in this way. Currently, we have committed our support for one year. However, it is our intention to become a long term partner with the BAA, so that we can contribute even greater in the nurturing of the talent of Bahrain's top athletes. We believe that supporting athletics is a perfect match for us as it mirrors the KFH-Bahrain values for performance and dedication."

Sheikh Talal Al-Khalifa emphasized why this partnership is so important: "Our relationship with KFH-Bahrain will enable us to build upon our current success; the future of Bahrain athletics is very much linked with young people, and we will be utilising this sponsorship to invest in identifying and training young talents towards developing a world class team and infrastructure."

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About Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain

Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain is a leading provider of Islamic commercial and investment banking services. Established in 2002 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House (Kuwait) -- an industry leader for more than 25 years -- KFH-Bahrain specializes in developing and bringing to market the highest quality Islamically compliant banking and investment products, all of which are delivered by a staff of experienced and dedicated professionals with a deep understanding of the market and the customers we serve.

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