Today I am beginning a new chapter in my life. I’ve been appointed as the President of Bahrain Triathlon Association, a newly established association that overlooks the sport of triathlon in the nation. It is really an honor, with tremendous responsibilities. First and foremost I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, The Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and The President of the Olympic Committee, for bestowing his faith and trust on me for this position and I pledge to dedicate my time and effort to develop this sport in Bahrain to ultimately benefit the citizens of this lovely island.
What is going on in my head right now, what do I want to do, and where do I want to be in the future all depends on some key factors I believe are very important to success.
My new job today is not any different from what I was doing yesterday. In fact, it is no different from what we all do together. Every day of the week, we work in our own unique way to develop Bahrain and attempt develop the Bahraini citizens’ life. In each way, we try to improve the economy, which would spill positively to benefit everyone who lives and depends on the economic business cycle. Our wages should improve, our education should improve, our services should improve, and thus our lives would improve. This complete cycle develops only with many individualistic dedications brought harmonically together.
One of the first things the board of directors and myself agreed on is to develop a vision which is consistent with the nation’s vision, then develop objectives and strategies in line with the macro state-level vision. In many career development courses, we learn that even organizations’ logos should follow the vision that was developed for all members to consistently repeat. If strategies were placed according to the vision, then tasks would find themselves difficult to deviate from the true path. We already know what we are suppose to do, to do what you all are doing and play a critical role in developing Bahrain in our own distinctive way.
See, this country has done a lot for me. Lead by His Majesty the King; many of us have been given the opportunity to receive assistance into proceeding with education after high school in places far far away from home. Yes it is true that we will personally benefit from being properly trained and prepared for the job market, but then comes the responsibility of giving back to the society that has offered a lot to us. Even while on the job market, the state continues to provide health care, housing, and multiple other services, but what about what we can give in return? Whether or not we have the blessings of appointments, each one of us has to find a way to give back, even if through such opinionated and constructive articles.
Now I have been talking a lot, or typing a lot, about the vitality of being an important person in society. I, in short, have been talking the talk; it is now thus time to walk the walk. Being in the face of the public, accountable to them through media and the monitoring body of the Olympic Committee, walking the walk is where my board of directors and I will be judged. It is most definitely going to be challenging, establishing an association from the ground up, but succeeding in challenges yields great returns. Yes I do fear failure, which is why I should become a master in overcoming fear on my path towards success.
Unlike many other sports, the uniqueness of triathlons is that it encompasses all types of athletes, beginners and professionals. At the local level, we have to think about spreading the sport of triathlon to as many people as possible. Football is considered our national sport, but why not attempt to take a small percentage chunk out of them, and others as well. Instead of watching, we want people to participate in triathlon in a festive mode. Worth a shot!
If we were able to bring and organize the best events in Bahrain, we will increase the pool of triathletes and by that support the growth of triathlon in Bahrain. In the long run, we believe that taking the right steps such as these would assist in giving birth to local talents that we can help develop into international triathletes. We know we can do it, but we all need to put our hands together for such a dream to come true.
Whether we are in the government or private sector, we work to develop the nation so that we can all enjoy living a well-deserved comfortable life. We can’t sit back and depend on the leading few to make our lives better, we have to work and help our leaders so that we can eventually help ourselves and help the generations to come. Don’t underestimate sports; it is not inferior to the economy.
Dr. Saqer AlKhalifa 
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