Olympic sailor Sami Al Kooheji, BMI Bank's and Think Pink Bahrain's goodwill ambassador, has helped raise several thousand dinars for the breast cancer charity and plans to continue his mission to spread awareness about the disease. Our CEO-Bahrain, was the chief guest at the event held on the 3rd of June and officially unveiled Sami's new BMI branded laser boat

Sami, who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games and has achieved two world endurance sailing records, launched his comeback in February with a bid to represent Bahrain and compete in the 2010 Asian Games in China in November. The Bahraini athlete will fly Think Pink Bahrain's logo, in addition to BMI Bank's, at all of his events and speak about breast cancer and the importance of early detection.

"I have a connection with breast cancer. My aunt died of it five years ago and many families are affected by it. But with early detection and awareness you can make a difference. With my campaign and being an athlete I can target an audience different from that maybe Think Pink can on its own. It's also important to have a man on board because breast cancer also affects men, so I can connect with them and educated more males to get checked."

The Sail Sami Fundraising Fun Night at Bahrain Yacht Club on Thursday raised in excess of BD2,800. It will go towards the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment that will be donated to Salmaniya Medical Complex. It will be the country's first MRI dedicated to detecting breast cancer and, according to experts, is the best tool to screen the condition in young women.

"I always support charities such as Palm Association and with Think Pink Bahrain I've been watching their progress over the years and wanted to help," said Mr Al Kooheji.

"They have raised a lot but their target is much higher than others because they need to raise almost BD1 million for MRI equipment and every little makes a difference."

He plans to raise awareness about the importance of breast cancer prevention and treatment by giving talks at sponsor and Think Pink Bahrain events and other public platforms throughout the year.

"Many Bahrainis are too scared to get checked, but early detection really is key."