Bahrain Comes to a Standstill for the King’s Son to Cycle, Run and Swim · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Traffic comes to a standstill in Muharraq, Bahrain, today as the King's son takes part in a triathlon. Photograph shared by @MohdBucheeri on Twitter
Traffic in Bahrain came to a standstill today (December 6) as some of the country's major roads were shut to traffic from 7am to 11am for the King's son to take part in a triathlon.
A burial service was delayed, airline travel was disrupted as travellers missed their flights, doctors could not go to work and patients were left without care while Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa swam, ran and cycled around the country.
Most of the bottlenecks were reported in Muharraq, where the Bahrain International Airport is located, in the country, which covers a total area of around 780 square kilometres.
The surprise came on social media, with netziens who are usually meek in criticising the actions of members of the ruling family, using their real names and voicing the worst criticism.
Raeda Sabt writes:
جنازة تأجلت .. رحلات طيران تأخرت .. الشوارع تسكرت .. يعني مصالح الناس آخر اهتمامكم بس عشان چم واحد يبي يركض !! #سباق_الترايثلون
— رائدة – البحرين (@RaedaSabt) December 6, 2014
A funeral was delayed, airplanes stranded, roads were closed. This means that people's interest are their last concern, just because a few people want to run!!
Ahmed Bucheery tweets:
The amount of stupidity is to make a race that would close al the roads in such small country #ChallengeBahrain
— • Ahmed | أحمد • (@AhmedBucheery) December 6, 2014
And Mohamed Buali, a Muharraq resident with 3,890 followers on Twitter, notes:
لم أشاهد تنظيم او أزدحام بشوارع البحرين، او إضرار بمصالح الناس مثل ما اشهده الآن في #الحد #عراد و #المحرق #ترايثلون ##سباق_الترايثلون
— Mohamed Buali (@MohammedBuali) December 6, 2014
I have never witnessed such organisation and congestion on Bahrain's roads, or damage to people's interests, like I have witnessed today in Hidd, Arad and Muharraq
He adds:
بإنتظار مسئول محترم يتقدم بإعتذار للشعب وبإعتراف بالاخطاء وسوء التنظيم! في شخص عاقل يصك الشوارع المؤدية للمطار؟!! #سباق_الترايثلون #البحرين
— Mohamed Buali (@MohammedBuali) December 6, 2014
I am waiting for a respectable official to apologise to the people and admit to mistakes and bad organisation. Is there anyone sane who would block roads leading to the airport?
On Vine, Mohammed Bucheeri shares this video showing passengers walking to the airport pushing their bags:
Bucheeri is particularly irked at the closure of the roads because his cousin's funeral had to be delayed because the family and mourners were not able to reach the cemetery. He sends a tweet to Shaikh Nasser saying:
إلى الشيخ ناصر ولد خالي متوفي وينتظرنا في المقبرة محد قادر يوصل للدفن والتشييع يرضيك ياطويل العمر؟ #ChallengeBahrain pic.twitter.com/TjnFPS4CxI
— Mohamed Bucheery (@MohdBucheery) December 6, 2014
To Shaikh Nasser,
My cousin is dead and is waiting for us at the cemetery.
No one can reach him for the burial
Is this acceptable?
In another tweet, he shares his encounter with a police officer:
آقول حق الضابط عندي وفاة وابي اروح المقبرة يقول لي ارجع البيت في سباق والشارع مصكوك .. حسبي الله عليكم
— Mohamed Bucheery (@MohdBucheery) December 6, 2014
I told the officer, we have a death in the family and need to go to the cemetery. He told me to return home as there is a race and the roads are closed.
Many netizens shared photographs of people walking long distances to the airport. Abdulla Al Jalahma shares this image from the airport's information display and asks:
الخساير هاذي من الي راح يتحملها غير الشعب المسكين؟ #البحرين_صاكة #سباق_الترايثلون حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل pic.twitter.com/CEn2c99Lpv
— عبدالله الجلاهمة (@Aljalhemi) December 6, 2014
Who, other than the poor people, will shoulder the losses?
On it's Twitter account, the country's national carrier says the flights were delayed because travellers did not get to the airport on time:
تعتذر #طيران_الخليج عن تأخير بعض الرحلات صباح اليوم بسبب تأخر بعض المسافرين عن الوصول لمطار البحرين في الوقت المحدد. pic.twitter.com/agN0jgNMS3
— Gulf Air (@GulfAir) December 6, 2014
Gulf Air apologises for the delay in some flights this morning because some travellers came late to the airport
Twitter's 140-character cap on tweets could explain why the airline, a triathlon sponsor, failed to mention why some travellers were late to some flights.
Patients and doctors were also impacted, say netizens. Abdulla Al Jalahma tweets:
وردني قبل قليل خبر معاناة بعض مرضى الكلى البحرينيين حيث أنهم لم يتمكنوا من الحضور موعد الغسيل بسبب إغلاق الشوارع حياتهم في خطر #البحرين_صاكة
— عبدالله الجلاهمة (@Aljalhemi) December 6, 2014
I just heard that some Bahraini kidney patients were not able to attend their dialysis appointments because the roads were blocked. This puts their lives in danger
Mohammed Bucheery shares a photograph of an ambulance stuck in traffic:
سيارة الإسعاف لا تستطيع التقدم لخطوة بسبب الزحام وكان الله في عون المريض الذي بداخلها هذا كله بسبب #سباق_الترايثلون pic.twitter.com/NghYNlVZ61
— Mohamed Bucheery (@MohdBucheery) December 6, 2014
An ambulance not able to move an inch in traffic. May God help the patient inside it. All this is because of the triathlon
And Abdulmonem Almeer relays the experience of a doctor:
طبيبة خرجت من قلالي متجة المستشفى من الساعة ٨:٣٠ وهي الآن هي محشورة بالبسيتين والمرضى ينتظرونها وعمليات تم تأجيلها هل يعقل #سباق_التراثليون
— عبدالمنعم المير (@MonemAlmeer) December 6, 2014
A doctor left Galali at 8.30am and she is now stuck in Busaiteen. Her patients are waiting for her and she has to delay her surgeries. Is this imaginable?
But for people from Bahrain's villages, living under a security crackdown that started after pro-democracy protests were quashed in the country in March 2011, closed roads and road blocks are a way of life.
Wasan addresses the pro-regime crowds on Twitter saying:
حسيتوا فالناس الي فالقرى؟ حسيتوا بالي صار في العكر يوم حاصروهم اسبوع؟ انتوا ساعتين مو مستحملين.. #سباق_الترايثلون
— Wasan (@wasanator) December 6, 2014
Did you feel the suffering of people in villages? Did you feel what happened in Ekr when they laid siege on the village for a week? You couldn't bear the suffering for two hours
احنا متعودين الشوارع تنصك عند مداخل مناطقنا و ننقع بالساعات و مانقدر نوصل مكان و العذر؟ نقطة تفتيش…اكلوها انتوا الحين. #سباق_الترايثلون
— Wasan (@wasanator) December 6, 2014
We are used to having roads blocked at the entrance of our areas, and used to waiting for hours and not being able to reach the places we want to go to. And the reason for that is usually a police checkpoint. You can now suffer.
Mohamed Bueida draws comparisons between the burning of tires on roads by protestors, and the closure of the roads due to the race:
اليوم الترايثلون ذوق الناس الموت عشان يرضون بالصخونة لا يبه حرق التواير وايد ارحم،ساعة والسالفة تخلص هذا اللي تبونه؟؟ #سباق_الترايثلون
— محمد بوعيدة (@Bueida) December 6, 2014
Today's triathlon made people see death so that they accept getting fevers. Burning tires on the road is much better (than the triathlon) because roads reopen in an hour.
Is this what you want?
The pro-government crowd usually point the finger at the opposition for blocking roads and disrupting their life, particularly during protests and the burning of tires on roads. Today, they have another axe to grind.
A meme widely shared on social media showing opposition leader Ali Salman saying the closed roads aren't his fault