Al Farsi delivers strong show, esports team set for debut

Muscat: Oman’s national esports team begins its first appearance at the third Asian Youth Games in Bahrain on Wednesday at 12 pm (Oman time), competing in Rocket League after completing an intensive training programme and arriving in high spirits.
In swimming, national team swimmer Mohammed al Farsi competed in Heat 1 of the 100m freestyle qualifiers, finishing in third place with a time of 57.74 seconds. Despite the strong effort, the result was not enough to qualify for the final due to the fierce competition led by the Chinese swimmers, who topped the standings with 51.18 seconds.
The Asian Youth Games features more than 5,000 athletes representing 45 Asian National Olympic Committees across 24 sports and 253 events. Competitions are held at major venues including Isa Sports City, Khalifa Sports City, Endurance Village and the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.
Coach Abdelhafid Rahmani Goudari praised Al Farsi’s performance, stating that the event marks a key milestone in the swimmer’s career at the end of the 2025 season. He noted that the swimmer underwent a demanding preparation schedule of eight to nine weekly sessions, supplemented with strength and conditioning training.
He added that Al Farsi, 17, specialises in the 50m and 200m freestyle and backstroke events and has shown clear progress throughout the year. The coach emphasised that the main objective of this participation is to gain high-level Asian experience and aim for qualification to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Al Farsi said he greatly benefited from the participation, despite missing the final. He described it as the toughest competition in his career so far and expressed determination to break his personal records in future races.

INTENSIVE TRAINING
Meanwhile, the esports team continued intensive training sessions focused on improving coordination, tactical strategies and reaction speed. The atmosphere in the camp has been highly motivated, with strong determination to deliver a top-level performance.
Hamad bin Yaqoub al Jahouri confirmed that the team enters the Rocket League competition with full readiness and ambitious goals, noting that they have a talented group of players aiming to reflect the rapid development of esports in Oman.
He added that the team expects tough opposition from 20 Asian countries, but confidence remains high after qualifying for the World Cup Finals in Saudi Arabia next December as the first Gulf and Arab team to do so, alongside the host nation.
Head coach Abdullah bin Nasser al Atiqi affirmed the players’ full physical and mental readiness, mentioning that the final tactical adjustments were completed ahead of Wednesday’s kickoff.
NINE OMANI REFEREES
Nine Omani referees and officials have been nominated by the Asian federations to officiate in various sports throughout the Games, recognising their strong performances in previous championships.
The delegation includes international swimming technical official Mal Allah al Busaidy on the swimming technical committee, athletics referee Abdullah al Thahli, beach volleyball referee Badr al Sarmi, handball referees Omar al Shehhi and Khamis al Wahaibi, handball official Abeer al Zadjali, futsal referee Maryam al Hadrami and international taekwondo referee Jassim al Rashdi.