Thrilling start to 5th West Asia Para Games in Muscat

Muscat: The competitions of the fifth West Asia Para Games (Muscat 2026) got underway on Tuesday morning. The athletics track at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher hosted the athletics events, while wheelchair basketball matches were played in the complex’s basketball arena. Al Amal Sports Hall staged the goalball fixtures, and the main hall at the complex saw the start of the badminton competitions on the opening day of the Games.
Goalball Results
The goalball events for the visually impaired opened at a high level, confirming the readiness of the participating teams. Saudi Arabia recorded a big win over Syria, 10–0, while Oman’s national team defeated the UAE by a wide margin of 11–1. Iraq also overcame Yemen 10–0, and Qatar edged Bahrain 8–5. These results highlighted the intensity of competition and the teams’ desire to make the best possible start to the tournament.
Athletics Results
The morning session of the athletics competitions produced notable performances and strong showings from the participating athletes. In the men’s shot put, Iraq’s Ghara Naish claimed first place, with the UAE’s Mohammed al Kaabi taking second and Iraq’s Kovan Abdulrahim finishing third.
In the women’s discus throw, the UAE athletes dominated the podium, as Maryam al Zwaidi secured first place, followed by her teammate Maryam al Matrooshi in second, while Bahrain’s Maryam al Humaidi came third.

In the men’s discus throw for wheelchair athletes, Saudi Arabia’s Salam Haider won first place after a strong contest, Syria’s Waseem Rizk finished second and Bahrain’s Yousif Nader was placed third.
In the men’s 400m, Saudi Arabia continued its strong presence with sprinter Ali al Nakhli winning first place, his compatriot Thamer al Zahrani taking second, and Oman’s Haitham al Zadjali earning third after a highly competitive race. The men’s 400m wheelchair race was also fiercely contested, with Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman al Qurashi taking gold, fellow Saudi Fahd al Turki finishing second, and Bahrain’s Ahmed Noah taking third place.
Badminton Results
In the morning badminton session, Iraq’s Imad Adel Abduh Hassan scored a clear victory over Jordan’s Musab al Tawwalbeh in straight games (21–9, 21–8). Saudi player Younis al Subhi defeated Lebanon’s Rida Rizk (21–13, 21–17), while Iraq’s Karar Hussein continued his country’s strong showing by beating Bahrain’s Nabeel al Dosari (21–7, 21–9).
Saudi player Mahdi al Makinah edged Iraq’s Hassan Wathiq Badr in an exciting three-game match (21–18, 12–21, 21–16). Another Saudi, Mohammed al Ali, overcame Bahrain’s Ahmed Abu Sitar (21–7, 21–18), and Bahrain’s Elyas al Yasi defeated Oman’s Haitham al Darmaki in two straight games (21–16, 21–16).

Wheelchair Basketball
The morning session featured two wheelchair basketball games, the first of which brought together Oman’s national team and the UAE. The Emirati side managed to secure a victory 54–47. The first quarter ended with the UAE leading 11–9, and they widened the gap in the second quarter, which ended 19–10 in their favour. Oman fought back in the third and fourth quarters, winning both 14–12, 14–12, but the overall score still tilted towards the Emiratis when the final buzzer sounded.
For his part, Oman wheelchair basketball head coach Hamood al Amiri said that facing the UAE was technically expected to be challenging, especially as it was the team’s first official game in the tournament. He explained that nerves and tension affected some players at the start of the game, contributing to a large number of missed easy chances under the basket, around forty points, by his estimate, which could have changed the outcome of the match.
Al Amiri added that the UAE team enjoys an advantage in terms of competitive exposure, as it has a regular league, unlike Oman’s team, which represents a single club without a local competition structure. This, he said, gives Emirati players greater on-court experience. He confirmed that the Omani players’ performance improved gradually as the game went on and they gained more contact and rhythm, noting that the coaching staff is counting on this upward curve in the upcoming matches, and expressing his hope that the team will appear in a stronger form in its next outings at the Games.