As the curtain falls today on the Third Asian Youth Games – Bahrain 2025, the Kingdom of Bahrain bids farewell to an exceptional continental sporting event that will remain a milestone in its modern sporting history, after achieving unparalleled success in hosting an edition described as “the most successful and largest in the history of the Asian Youth Games,” under the royal patronage that gave the event a majestic national and organizational dimension, embodying Bahrain’s capabilities and efficiency in managing major sporting events at the continental and global levels.
The tournament’s activities will conclude this Friday evening with a solemn closing ceremony held in the Khalifa Sports City Hall at six o’clock in the evening, in the presence of a high-level official. The ceremony includes closing speeches and the showing of a documentary film that embodies the most prominent moments of the tournament and the coronation and competition scenes in various locations, before the ceremony of handing over the tournament’s flag to the next host country – Uzbekistan, which will organize the fourth edition of the continental event.
The ceremony will be preceded by an extensive press conference held at 4:30 pm in Khalifa Sports City, with the participation of an elite group of Asian sports leaders, led by Mr. Faris Mustafa Al Kooheji, Secretary General of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, Mr. Timothy Fok Tsun Ting, First Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Mr. Yousef Daij, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Games, Mr. Hussein Al Muslim, Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia, and Mr. Vinod Kumar, Deputy Director General of the Council.
The conference will provide a comprehensive presentation of the tournament’s statistics and official numbers, including the number of participating athletes, delegations and countries, in addition to a review of the organizational successes recorded by Bahrain in this historic edition, and the reports of the technical and administrative committees.
At the conclusion of the competitions, Bahrain was awaiting a busy sports day in which most of the female athletes concluded their journey in the tournament. Yesterday, Thursday, witnessed the holding of 11 sporting events distributed among a number of facilities in various governorates of the Kingdom, amid a large public presence and great interaction from the participating delegations.
In the Umm Al Hassam sports halls, the Gulf audience experienced one of the most exciting matches in the tournament, as the Saudi national team snatched the gold medal in youth handball after defeating the Kuwait national team with a score of 29-28 in a strong and equal final until the last moments, while the Kingdom of Bahrain won the bronze medal after its well-deserved victory over China with a score of 32-28 amid a special enthusiastic atmosphere.
In indoor football (futsal) for the youth category, the Afghanistan national team won the gold medal after defeating Iran with a score of 2-1 in an exciting match that witnessed great competition from both teams, while Thailand won the bronze medal after defeating Uzbekistan with a score of 6-2. The previous day, Iran had won the gold medal in the youth category after defeating China on penalty kicks with a score of 3-2, confirming its strong presence in this sport.
In another scene of the competition, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strengthened its presence on the list of winners by adding a new gold medal in electronic games, after its team defeated Jordan in the Rocket League final, adding Saudi Arabia its second gold in modern sports competitions and confirming the diversity of its capabilities in various games.
As for the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, the weightlifting competitions witnessed a distinguished conclusion culminated in remarkable Bahraini brilliance, after the Bahraini champions were able to achieve gold in the clean and snatch in the 94 kg category, amid a loud crowd atmosphere and the cheers of fans who celebrated this national achievement.
The same day witnessed the end of wrestling competitions with high technical levels between young men and women, in addition to the curtain coming down on the judo and jiu-jitsu events, which witnessed strong and exciting fights that embodied the spirit of fair competition between Asian athletes. The swimming, badminton, boxing, and weightlifting competitions also concluded with final rounds hosted by Bahraini facilities, amidst large audience watching, at a time when the lenses were tracking the last moments of glory for the athletes ascending to the podium.
In the youth cycling race, Hong Kong clinched the gold medal after excelling in the final stages of the long-distance race on the Nasser bin Hamad Cycling Track, while Thailand’s Naila took the silver, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia deservedly achieved the bronze medal after a strong performance and consistent level throughout the race.
While most of the games bid farewell to their competitions, the tournament remained on track with its last competition, which was the 119-kilometre endurance race for individuals and teams, which was held at the Bahrain International Endurance Village with the participation of an elite group of young Asian riders, and which concluded at dawn today, Friday, to mark the end of the sporting competitions before the big celebration tonight.
As for the medals level, the tournament concluded with a scene confirming the superiority of China, which finished the competitions at the summit with 147 colored medals, including 63 gold, 48 silver and 36 bronze, imposing its absolute control over the overall standings with a comfortable margin over its closest rivals. Uzbekistan came in second place with 81 medals, including 37 gold, followed by Kazakhstan in third place with 93 medals, including 24 gold, while Iran came fourth with 76 medals, including 22 gold, and Thailand came in fifth with 48 medals, including 15 gold.
In the Arab world, the United Arab Emirates maintained its lead among Arab countries after finishing the tournament in eighth place in Asia with 27 medals (10 gold), followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in thirteenth place with 21 medals (5 gold), then the host Kingdom of Bahrain, which came in fourteenth place with 12 medals (5 gold).
Asian praise continued for the successful Bahraini organization of the tournament, as the heads of delegations and technical committees confirmed that Bahrain presented an exceptional model in logistical, media and organizational readiness and integration, and that the tournament was characterized by smooth performance in all locations and competitions, in addition to the high level of professionalism of the Bahraini working cadres.
With this, Bahrain turns a bright page in its sporting history, having dazzled the Asian continent with its tight organization and ambitious youth spirit, so that the Bahrain 2025 tournament remains a title of success and excellence, and a unique experience that will be recorded in the memory of Asian sports for decades to come.
