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Daily Tribune
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain Eye Back-to-Back Titles on Home Court
TDT | Manama West Asia Volleyball Championship kicks off Saturday The West Asia Men's Volleyball Championship kicks off Saturday at Isa Bin Rashid Arena, and hosts Bahrain look more than ready. On Tuesday, the national team put in a strong showing, winning straight sets over Saudi Arabia. It was their second friendly win over the same opponents in the lead-up to the tournament. The set scores were 27–29, 25–19, 25–19. The win served as Bahrain's final tune-up under head coach Arnaud Gosserand, and it capped off a short but sharp preparation window for a squad aiming for their second title of the summer "When you win an Asian cup, the only goal is to win the next competition", said an ambitious Gosserand. The Competition The West Asia Volleyball Association (WAVA) has officially locked in the tournament pools: Group A: Bahrain, Jordan, UAE, Lebanon Group B: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman This is the first-ever senior men's championship organized under WAVA, part of a long-term strategy to grow the sport across the region. Bahrain, with its recent rise in Asian volleyball, has positioned itself at the heart of that vision. Carrying Momentum Bahrain won the 23rd Arab Volleyball Championship in November last year, and just last month, they lifted their first AVC Men's Volleyball Nations Cup title. Both achievements were on home soil. That historic AVC run featured standout performances from a now-familiar core: With chemistry intact and confidence high, Bahrain enter this tournament as favorites. They open their campaign Saturday against Lebanon, followed by group matches against Jordan on Sunday, and UAE on Monday. All matches are set for 7PM and will be played at Isa Bin Rashid Arena in front of a home crowd hoping to see another title-winning run.
Daily Tribune
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain Warm Up with Saudi Win Ahead of West Asia Championship
Bahrain's national volleyball team beat Saudi Arabia 3-1 in a pre-tournament friendly, just days before the West Asia Men's Volleyball Championship kicks off in Manama. The match served as final preparations under head coach Arnaud Gosserand, with the hosts taking the sets 25–21, 21–25, 25–23, 25–16. The result comes as Bahrain look to build momentum toward a second major title this summer, only this time it will be against regional rivals in a brand-new continental competition. Groups Confirmed The West Asia Volleyball Association (WAVA) has confirmed the final groups for the July 17–27 tournament, which will take place at Isa Bin Rashid Hall in Isa Town. Group A: Bahrain, Jordan, UAE, Lebanon Group B: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman This is the first-ever edition of the senior men's national team championship under WAVA. The goal is to establish a consistent, high-level tournament that strengthens volleyball development across the region—something Bahrain is clearly committed to being at the heart of. Building from AVC Success Bahrain enters as the reigning AVC Men's Volleyball Nations Cup champions, having clinched their first continental title just last month, also on home soil. That campaign produced several standout names, all set to return for this tournament: With an established core and winning pedigree, Bahrain are rightly considered among the favorites. The friendly win over Saudi Arabia gave Gosserand a final look at combinations and rotations ahead of what will be a competitive 10-day stretch. The performance suggests that the team's confidence is high, and their rhythm intact. Bahrain will open their group campaign against Jordan, UAE, and Lebanon—each match a test in its own right. But with form and home support on their side, expectations will be high.
Daily Tribune
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain looks to build on their AVC success with back-to-back titles
TDT | Manama The West Asia Volleyball Association (WAVA) revealed the groups for the West Asia Men's Volleyball Championship yesterday. The draw was hosted by Bahrain. The tournament will take place from July 17 to July 27 at Isa Bin Rashid Hall in Isa Town, Bahrain. Eight national teams will compete in the tournament, divided into two groups. One group features Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, while the other includes Bahrain, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon. Bahrain enters the tournament as the reigning AVC Men's Volleyball Nations Cup champions, having clinched the title on home soil. The squad features several standout performers from that campaign, including tournament MVP and Best Outside Hitter Abdulla Mohammed, Best Setter AlAfyah Mahmood, Best Opposite Khamis Ali, and Best Libero Haroon Ayman. With a core of proven talent and recent continental success, Bahrain will be among the favorites for the West Asia title. This is the first edition of the West Asia Volleyball Association's senior men's national team championship. The tournament is set to become an annual fixture in the regional sports calendar, aiming to strengthen volleyball across West Asia and boost competition among national teams.
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
‘Weather-proofing' fund to help Welsh tourism industry brave soggy summers
The landscapes are as spectacular as the welcome is warm in the Welsh valleys, mountain villages and harbour towns, but the weather can, to put it mildly, be unreliable. In an attempt to counter a trend of visitors staying away due to the threat of chilly sogginess, the Welsh government is launching a million-pound 'weather proofing' fund for tourism businesses. Owners of attractions will be able to apply for up to £20,000 to pay for measures such as canopies, sustainable drainage, covered seating areas, shelters or improved pathways and car park surfaces. The Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions (WAVA), which worked with the government to develop the fund, welcomed the move and claimed Wales was the first nation to experiment with ideas to combat the effect of the climate crisis on tourism. Ashford Price, a spokesperson for WAVA and chair of a caves centre in south Wales, said: 'Meteorologists forecast that Britain will get wetter winters and wetter summers, hence not trying out new ideas is not an option. Many attractions will in future give priority to keeping their customers dry. 'Ideas range from changing grass car parking, which readily turns to mud, into stone-based car parks, to transporting visitors in land trains and then ensuring that when they queue for tickets they have a roof over them to keep them dry. 'Improved drainage will in some attractions keep play areas dry, and putting a layer of stone dust on pathways will help keep footwear dry. Some boating attractions will provide coverings over their seating areas while out looking for dolphins.' Ironically, the Welsh government chanced on a very sunny week for the launch of the fund, but it cited data from Visit Wales, which showed that 55% of businesses said the weather was the reason for fewer visitors in summer 2024, even more than cost-of-living pressures. Almost 40% of businesses had fewer visitors last summer compared with the previous year. The poor weather included Storm Lilian, which brought 70mph winds to Wales in August, peak summer holiday season. Rebecca Evans, the cabinet secretary with responsibility for tourism, said tough weather had carved out the country's impressive landscapes, but she added: 'As the weather becomes more and more unpredictable, it has been identified as the single biggest factor affecting visitor numbers to Welsh attractions. Poor weather can stop them operating as normal, impact on the experience and has the potential to discourage visits in the first place. 'That's why we have listened to the concerns of people working in the tourism attraction sector and launched this fund, helping them prepare for increasingly variable weather patterns.' The Welsh Conservatives were not impressed, claiming the Labour government's policies, such as tighter rules around holiday lets intended to ease the housing crisis in visitor hotspots, were to blame, with a proposed 'tourism tax' likely to exacerbate the problem. The shadow cabinet secretary for culture, tourism and sport, Gareth Davies, said: 'Labour cannot seriously blame the weather for their own failures in government.'
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tourism: More Welsh attractions 'at risk' as Oakwood shuts
More Welsh attractions could follow Oakwood theme park in going out of business, with one owner describing "the most worrying time" in his 32 years in the Davies, who runs Heatherton World of Activities, near Tenby in Pembrokeshire, will see his wage bill go up £250,000 because of increases to National Insurance and minimum wage, and grimly predicted others "are not going to last".The owner of a marine zoo on Anglesey said small operators are at "breaking point", and the boss of the national show caves in Swansea county admitted "we can't carry on life this".Oakwood shut after almost 40 years due to a drop in visitor numbers. Operators such as Heatherton, which employs about 160 people, are being hit from "all sides" Mr Davies said, with increases in minimum wage, National Insurance, as well as higher supply and energy costs. "It's the most worrying time we've ever had in 32 years of running the attraction," he said. "If everything carries on the way it does others [attractions] are not going to last." Three Welsh attractions have recently failed according to the Welsh Visitor Attractions Association (WAVA), hitting a tourism sector that employs 150,000 people in Wales. The sector is facing a new burden in 2027 when the Welsh government could let councils charge £1.25 a night Welsh tourism tax, affecting guests at hotels, B&Bs and self-catered accommodation, or a75p charge for hostel and campsite Davies called the tax a "suicide mission for the industry" that could cost his business an extra £200,000 a year, depending on how the tax is implemented. "Welsh government is discouraging the whole industry," he claimed, accusing ministers of seeing it as a "cash cow to be milked".Frankie Hobro, owner of Anglesey Sea Zoo, said she expects more closures to be announced in the coming months. "Since Covid, we haven't recovered with our visitor numbers, down 23%," she said."On top of that, we've got a cost of living crisis so people are earning less so we've got less visitors spending less."Ms Hobro said she is worried about the mental health of some operators. "We are the people that are putting their life and soul into this kind of thing," she said."We're resourceful, we want to make things work, and yet these people are at absolute rock bottom."Operators are cutting costs and staff to survive, she said, but are now facing a future hurdle in the Welsh tourism added: "All these things are stacking up and there's a breaking point with everybody and particularly with small business owners." WAVA secretary Ashford Price, told the BBC Radio Wales Phone In that more Welsh attractions could fail if the tourism season is poor. the organisation represents more than 80 of Wales' main visitor attractions."I feel that the Welsh government has made life difficult for tourism in Wales," he said, pointing to rules over second homes, and proposals for a tourism tax. "In the last year, 29% fewer visitors have stayed overnight in Wales, and the tourist tax is sure to make the situation worse," he added. Mr Davies, who is also chairman of Dan-yr-Ogof - the National Exhibition Caves Centre for Wales - in Abercrave, Swansea county, said attractions "can't survive" if current trends continue. "We need visitor numbers to key places like Dan-yr-Ogof caves going," he said. "We can't carry on like this."He called for government changes."We don't spend enough on marketing and certainly some of the policies that the Welsh government have derived... like the tourism tax, the 182 day law for self caters, they are putting people off," he explained. Welsh Conservative Samuel Kurtz MS said Oakwood was "part of the fabric" of Pembrokeshire's tourism offer. "To lose a key cornerstone of that if going to make the season ahead quite difficult I think," he said. Charles Davies admitted in the short-term Heatherton would benefit from the closure of Oakwood, saying they had already picked up more school bookings. "In the longer terms though, will people still want to come to Pembrokeshire if we don't have a theme park?" he asked. He said Heatherton will have to find the money to "keep up to date"."It's a battle to have lots of attractions on site, which we are managing to do," he said. "At moment we are on hold with everything… hopefully everything goes well this summer." Prof Calvin Jones of Cardiff Business School said tourism was "rapidly changing" since Covid, with people once again "jumping back on a plane to go somewhere". "There's a need of understanding what tourists want into the future, how to provide that for them," he said. "Unfortunately it does seem running a theme park obviously with its high costs and very high safety requirements just doesn't seem to be viable." The Welsh government has not helped, he admitted, with the environmental and cultural priorities behind policies such as the second home and tourism tax initiatives. "It's very hard to find a goldilocks position," he added. A Welsh government spokesperson said it wanted to "work closely" with the Welsh tourism sector to help address the challenges businesses face."Tourism makes an important contribution to the Welsh economy and to Welsh life," a spokesperson added.
