Oman paragliding team impress with gold
Beach athletics and tent pegging to begin today
Published: 05:04 PM,Apr 07,2025 | EDITED : 09:04 PM,Apr 07,2025
MUSCAT, APRIL 7
The Oman national paragliding team claimed gold medal in the teams category of paragliding competitions at the third GCC Beach Games which is underway in Muscat beaches until Friday. The Oman team earned 8,475 points while the UAE team came in second with 7,275 points and grabbed silver medal while the Kuwait team finished third with 3,925 points to receive bronze medal.
In the senior singles category, Oman’s athlete Ahmed al Kalbani captured the silver with 950 points while Abdullah Nasser Mustafa from the UAE claimed the gold with 1,000 points. Oman’s Yaqadhan al Zadjali finished third after he claimed 500 points and got the bronze medal.
On the opening day, the Oman paragliding team had secured silver and bronze medals in the senior singles category through Khalil al Toubi who won the silver medal with 2,175 points while Abdulaziz al Duhli secured the bronze with 2,000 points.
BEACH ATHLETICS AND TENT PEGGING
The beach athletics competitions will begin on Tuesday at GCC Beach Games Muscat 2025 as Men’s 60m event and Men’s high jump will start at 16:10 at Al Hail North Beach. Tent pegging events will commence also on Tuesday at Al Rahba Farm and the competitions will kick off at 14:30.
Mulham al Balushi, gold medallist of Men’s 60m at Kazakhstan Indoors Championship, and Olympic sprinter Mazoon al Alawi are the top names in the Oman athletics team besides other new young runners. As many as 36 medals will be distributed at beach athletics competitions.
The women’s competitions will begin on Tuesday while four more events will take place on Wednesday — Women’s Long Jump, Men’s One Mile Race, Men’s Triple Jump and Women’s One Mile Race. The concluding day on Thursday will also feature four events: Women’s Triple Jump, Women’s High Jump, Men’s 4x60m Relay and Women’s 4x60m Relay.
The technical meeting of beach athletics competitions took place on Monday in presence of Brigadier (Retired) Said al Hajri, Chairman of Oman Athletics Association (OAA), and representatives from the participating national teams. The meeting covered the rules and regulations of the competitions besides eligibility of the athletes and the list of approved participants in each event.
The technical meeting was followed by anti-doping meeting chaired by Shoaib al Zadjali who explained all the procedures including how doping tests would be conducted after each event, and various inquiries were addressed concerning competition logistics, athlete performance and result management.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Oman beach volleyball teams impressed on the opening day of the beach volleyball competition as they registered triumphs in their majority of the matches at Al Hail North Beach. Oman team (3) represented by Mansoor al Qasmi and Saleh al Jalboubi won their match against Kuwait team (2) by 2-0. Oman team (4) duo Al Azhar al Hasani and Mubarak al Farsi delivered an outstanding show to claim 2-0 win over Qatar team (2). Oman team (1) represented by Haitham al Shuraiqi and Nooh al Jalboubi defeated UAE (1) by 2-0. Oman team (3) comprised from Mansoor al Qasmi and Saleh al Jalboubi lost against Qatar team (1) by 2-0.
Oman team (2) comprising Mazin al Hashmi and Hood al Jalboubi won against Bahrain team (1) by 2-0 while Oman team (4) represented by Al Azhar al Hasani and Mubarak al Farsi suffered a 2-0 loss against Saudi Arabia team (1).
THIRD WIN FOR OMAN IN HANDBALL
Oman beach handball team continued its winning streak, claiming a third consecutive victory after defeating Saudi Arabia in straight sets at the sand court of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
The first set saw intense competition and rapid point exchanges, with both teams drawing level multiple times. Oman's Said al Hosani, Ali al Jabri and Mohannad al Zarafi stood out with impressive performances, while Saudi's Hassan al Mubarak and Alawi al Khudrawi kept their team in contention. In extra time, Said al Hosani netted the winning goal, giving Oman the first set with a score of 22-20.
At the start of the second set, Omani goalkeeper Hudhaifa al Siyabi surprised everyone by scoring two consecutive goals, extending Oman’s lead. Although Saudi Arabia managed to narrow the gap, Ali al Hosani responded quickly to make it 6-2. The Omani trio of Al Hosani, Al Jabri and Al Zarafi continued their strong play, adding crucial points, while Saudi efforts led by Ahmed al Obaidi and Alawi al Khudrawi reduced the score to 12-8.
In the final moments, Saudi Arabia attempted a comeback, but Oman’s solid defence and the brilliance of goalkeeper Hudhaifa al Siyabi held them off. Mohannad al Zarafi then sealed the set with a decisive goal, giving Oman a 14-8 win and confirming their advancement in the tournament with strong momentum.
In the other match, the UAE team triumphed over Bahrain in a penalty shoot-out, winning 8-2. The UAE took the first set, but Bahrain bounced back strongly in the second to level the match. With both sides winning one set each, the match went to penalties, where the UAE emerged victorious.
FAN ZONE
The Fan Zone activities at Al Mouj Muscat started officially on Sunday night as part of the accompanying activities of third GCC Beach Games in Muscat. The opening ceremony took place in a exciting atmosphere filled with entertainment and cultural experiences aimed at enriching the audience's experience and providing an interactive community space throughout the duration of the Games. The Fan Zone comprised from: An interactive stage, photo exhibition, crafts corner showcasing Omani heritage, children's area, youth zones, electronic and interactive games, physical games and daily competitions and giveaways. The Fan Zone will be open until Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm serving as a comprehensive entertainment and cultural destination that reflects the spirit of the Gulf event and contributes to boosting tourism in the capital Muscat.
The Oman national paragliding team claimed gold medal in the teams category of paragliding competitions at the third GCC Beach Games which is underway in Muscat beaches until Friday. The Oman team earned 8,475 points while the UAE team came in second with 7,275 points and grabbed silver medal while the Kuwait team finished third with 3,925 points to receive bronze medal.
In the senior singles category, Oman’s athlete Ahmed al Kalbani captured the silver with 950 points while Abdullah Nasser Mustafa from the UAE claimed the gold with 1,000 points. Oman’s Yaqadhan al Zadjali finished third after he claimed 500 points and got the bronze medal.
On the opening day, the Oman paragliding team had secured silver and bronze medals in the senior singles category through Khalil al Toubi who won the silver medal with 2,175 points while Abdulaziz al Duhli secured the bronze with 2,000 points.
BEACH ATHLETICS AND TENT PEGGING
The beach athletics competitions will begin on Tuesday at GCC Beach Games Muscat 2025 as Men’s 60m event and Men’s high jump will start at 16:10 at Al Hail North Beach. Tent pegging events will commence also on Tuesday at Al Rahba Farm and the competitions will kick off at 14:30.
Mulham al Balushi, gold medallist of Men’s 60m at Kazakhstan Indoors Championship, and Olympic sprinter Mazoon al Alawi are the top names in the Oman athletics team besides other new young runners. As many as 36 medals will be distributed at beach athletics competitions.
The women’s competitions will begin on Tuesday while four more events will take place on Wednesday — Women’s Long Jump, Men’s One Mile Race, Men’s Triple Jump and Women’s One Mile Race. The concluding day on Thursday will also feature four events: Women’s Triple Jump, Women’s High Jump, Men’s 4x60m Relay and Women’s 4x60m Relay.
The technical meeting of beach athletics competitions took place on Monday in presence of Brigadier (Retired) Said al Hajri, Chairman of Oman Athletics Association (OAA), and representatives from the participating national teams. The meeting covered the rules and regulations of the competitions besides eligibility of the athletes and the list of approved participants in each event.
The technical meeting was followed by anti-doping meeting chaired by Shoaib al Zadjali who explained all the procedures including how doping tests would be conducted after each event, and various inquiries were addressed concerning competition logistics, athlete performance and result management.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Oman beach volleyball teams impressed on the opening day of the beach volleyball competition as they registered triumphs in their majority of the matches at Al Hail North Beach. Oman team (3) represented by Mansoor al Qasmi and Saleh al Jalboubi won their match against Kuwait team (2) by 2-0. Oman team (4) duo Al Azhar al Hasani and Mubarak al Farsi delivered an outstanding show to claim 2-0 win over Qatar team (2). Oman team (1) represented by Haitham al Shuraiqi and Nooh al Jalboubi defeated UAE (1) by 2-0. Oman team (3) comprised from Mansoor al Qasmi and Saleh al Jalboubi lost against Qatar team (1) by 2-0.
Oman team (2) comprising Mazin al Hashmi and Hood al Jalboubi won against Bahrain team (1) by 2-0 while Oman team (4) represented by Al Azhar al Hasani and Mubarak al Farsi suffered a 2-0 loss against Saudi Arabia team (1).
THIRD WIN FOR OMAN IN HANDBALL
Oman beach handball team continued its winning streak, claiming a third consecutive victory after defeating Saudi Arabia in straight sets at the sand court of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
The first set saw intense competition and rapid point exchanges, with both teams drawing level multiple times. Oman's Said al Hosani, Ali al Jabri and Mohannad al Zarafi stood out with impressive performances, while Saudi's Hassan al Mubarak and Alawi al Khudrawi kept their team in contention. In extra time, Said al Hosani netted the winning goal, giving Oman the first set with a score of 22-20.
At the start of the second set, Omani goalkeeper Hudhaifa al Siyabi surprised everyone by scoring two consecutive goals, extending Oman’s lead. Although Saudi Arabia managed to narrow the gap, Ali al Hosani responded quickly to make it 6-2. The Omani trio of Al Hosani, Al Jabri and Al Zarafi continued their strong play, adding crucial points, while Saudi efforts led by Ahmed al Obaidi and Alawi al Khudrawi reduced the score to 12-8.
In the final moments, Saudi Arabia attempted a comeback, but Oman’s solid defence and the brilliance of goalkeeper Hudhaifa al Siyabi held them off. Mohannad al Zarafi then sealed the set with a decisive goal, giving Oman a 14-8 win and confirming their advancement in the tournament with strong momentum.
In the other match, the UAE team triumphed over Bahrain in a penalty shoot-out, winning 8-2. The UAE took the first set, but Bahrain bounced back strongly in the second to level the match. With both sides winning one set each, the match went to penalties, where the UAE emerged victorious.
FAN ZONE
The Fan Zone activities at Al Mouj Muscat started officially on Sunday night as part of the accompanying activities of third GCC Beach Games in Muscat. The opening ceremony took place in a exciting atmosphere filled with entertainment and cultural experiences aimed at enriching the audience's experience and providing an interactive community space throughout the duration of the Games. The Fan Zone comprised from: An interactive stage, photo exhibition, crafts corner showcasing Omani heritage, children's area, youth zones, electronic and interactive games, physical games and daily competitions and giveaways. The Fan Zone will be open until Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm serving as a comprehensive entertainment and cultural destination that reflects the spirit of the Gulf event and contributes to boosting tourism in the capital Muscat.