High Standards at Basketball Development Festival

Muscat, JAN 18
The second edition of the Basketball Athlete Development Centres Festival concluded yesterday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, organised by the Oman Basketball Association, amid an enthusiastic atmosphere and wide participation that included 119 male and female players, alongside 16 coaches representing the accredited centres. The festival reflected the growing interest and strong turnout for youth development programmes.
The event witnessed notable interaction from participants, with activities featuring applied training sessions, competitions and friendly matches between the centres. These competitive elements aimed to assess players’ technical and physical abilities and monitor their skill development, while providing greater opportunities for game exposure and experience within a well-organised competitive environment.
The closing ceremony included the launch of the official kit for the Athlete Development Centres, a step that strengthens the unified identity of the centres and reinforces concepts of belonging and professionalism among players and technical staff, as part of the Association’s efforts to advance the youth development system.
In this context, Abu Bakr al Jahwari, Vice-Chairman of the Association and Head of the Centres Supervision Committee, said the festival is part of a long-term plan implemented by the Association to build a strong base of national talent. He expressed his appreciation to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for its continuous support, noting that such backing represents a key pillar in the success of youth development programmes and in preparing talents to represent national teams in the future.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Hashim, Technical Director of the Basketball Athlete Development Centres, stated that the festival aims to unify training methodologies across centres and enhance the quality of technical work in line with best modern training practices. He explained that the festival served as an important platform to measure technical progress and evaluate development pathways, while also providing opportunities for the exchange of expertise among technical staff, outcomes expected to positively impact national team levels in the future.
For her part, Wafaa Zaghdood, coach of the national women’s team and supervisor of the Muscat Athlete Development Centre, noted that the festival displayed a good technical level among both male and female players. She added that the competitive atmosphere and solid organisation contributed to achieving the festival’s technical and educational objectives, emphasising that attention to these age groups reflects a clear vision for building a well-prepared and aware sporting generation.
The OBA continues to implement its programmes aimed at developing youth categories, contributing to the formation of a promising generation capable of representing national teams and strengthening Oman’s basketball presence in upcoming competitions.