(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - While the [P]GCC Games are a local affair, its low-wattage reception is likely to be noticed by organizers and sponsors of major events with links to the country — including the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix that was canceled this year because of the unrest.
More than 1,000 athletes from the six-member [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council have competed for 12 days in 10 sports at the games, which wrap up Saturday.
The games had elements of a high-profile competition — including an endearing mascot and an ear-catching slogan. But some of the brand new venues for volleyball, basketball, swimming and football were virtually empty of spectators — an indication that few in Bahrain are in the mood to cheer their national teams and competitors after months of protests for greater rights by the country's Shiite majority and sweeping crackdowns by the discriminate rulers.
Hundreds of opposition supporters — including more than 150 athletes — have been detained and tried for crimes against the state since the uprising in Bahrain started in February. At least 35 people have been killed in the revolt that was inspired by other Arab uprisings.
"It's shameful to have any games in this sad atmosphere," said Fatima Ali, a 28-year-old opposition supporter and a mother of two. Ali is among thousands of Bahrain's Shiites who lost their jobs for participating in protests earlier this year. "I love sports, but the government is using it to say to the world that our revolution for freedom is over."
Bahrain's rulers are eager to show the country is back to normal and ready to welcome foreign investors to revive the battered economy. Formula One has already agreed to return to the Persian Gulf kingdom in 2012, and 1,500 athletes from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have competed under the politically charged slogan of "Bahrain 11: One Gulf, One Goal."
The organizers made no apologies for mixing sports with politics at the games, staged just a few months after Bahrain imposed martial law and invited a Persian Gulf military force from neighboring states to help quell dissent.
Discriminate rulers across the Persian Gulf fear that any compromise to Bahrain's Shiites by the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty would strengthen the influence of the region's Shiite powerhouse, Iran.
"Whoever did not understand the depth and the extent of the relationship between the neighboring countries, should realize by now that anything that harms one, hurts all in the Persian Gulf," said Sheik Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the general secretary of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, in an interview with The Associated Press.
He said the games are part of "the healing process Bahrain is going through," and added that Bahrain's triumphs in sports will boost the kingdom's national pride, which had been damaged by sectarian tensions.
"It's a huge achievement when the national team with players from both sects wins," Sheik Ahmed said. "Sports and politics do mix, but on the positive side," Ahmed said, adding that the number of spectators have steadily increased as Bahrain teams moved closer to the finals.
On Thursday, the country's National Stadium was far from full when Bahrain's national team that has been purged of several Shiite players during the crackdown played the UAE in semifinals. At other events, the only spectators at matches that did not include Bahraini athletes were often bored security guards, who at times seemed more entertained by the acrobatics of the event's mascot, called Ghalib, which is Arabic for Victory.
In addition to the gold in handball, Bahrain also won titles in the half-marathon, 10,000 meters, bowling and cycling as well as in the table tennis, the only event featuring women.
"I don't care if the national teams win or lose," said Jassim, a 22-year-old student, who only gave his first name for fear of harassment by the authorities. "All I care about is for discrimination to stop. I want justice and equal rights for all in my country."
The sporting community in Bahrain has been heavily punished for taking part in the anti-discriminate protests. More than 150 athletes, coaches and referees were jailed and dozens are awaiting trial, according to Bahrain's human rights activists.
Among the most famous athletes jailed for protesting were football players Alaa and Mohammed Hubail. The brothers were barred from playing on the national team and blacklisted from the local league. In June, Mohammed was convicted in the special security court and sentenced to two years in prison.
Sheik Ahmed acknowledged that the athletes' trials are pending, but insisted that most athletes have had bans lifted and that many who took part in the protests can train and compete.
The [P]GCC Games' closing event on Saturday is a football final between the hosts and Saudi Arabia, which will host the event in 2015.
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