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In 1968, during the Mexican Olympic Games, the Bahraini delegation proposed the idea of the Gulf Cup, which was championed by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, then Director of Youth Welfare at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in Saudi Arabia. Today, Al-Faisal is the Amir of Makkah. The proposal was presented to Stanley Rous, President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) at the time.

The inaugural Gulf Cup was held in Bahrain in 1970, running from March 27 to April 3. The tournament featured four teams: Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The UAE joined in 1972, Oman participated in the third edition, and Iraq joined in the fourth tournament. Yemen became part of the competition in 2003, bringing the total number of participating teams to eight.

There is no doubt that the idea of using sports to strengthen relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries was a brilliant one. Although politics has not left sports untouched, and some tournaments have seen moments of fanaticism that some believe could affect the fraternal bonds between the peoples of the Gulf, the tournament has largely served its intended purpose. The Gulf Cup has, in fact, increased the openness between the GCC countries, brought youth closer together, and allowed athletes to engage with one another.

One of my vivid memories of this tournament takes me back to the 1970s in Alexandria, where the late Sheikh Basil Sabah Al-Salem shared with us a story about the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem. He recounted how the Amir had witnessed the joy of his children celebrating Kuwait’s victory during a tournament held in Kuwait while they were abroad. Sheikh Sabah asked them to hold off on celebrating until he called the Minister of Interior to inquire about the progress of the final match. When he learned that the public had received both victory and defeat with a spirit of love, the Amir smiled and said to his sons: “Now rejoice.”

This memory serves as a powerful reminder of the true spirit of sports—uniting people in mutual respect and friendship. Unfortunately, sports competition is sometimes exploited by internal and external forces to create distance between the masses and increase hostility between brothers. These harmful forces are still present among us today, and they use social media to provoke and inflame public sentiment, stirring up strife to achieve their divisive goals. The anonymity provided by social media platforms only makes it easier for these harmful elements to operate, leaving us uncertain of who is truly against us.

It is the responsibility of the public—especially the youth—to prevent these forces from achieving their goals. They must form an iron wall against these negative influences, ensuring that our bonds remain strong and united.

The true success of the Gulf Cup lies not just in sporting progress, but in bringing together the youth of the Arabian Gulf. It is about cooperation, unity, and the collective strength to face the challenges that lie ahead.

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