Oman shines in athletics at West Asia Para Games

Muscat: The powerlifting competitions get underway at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher on Friday, alongside road cycling races on the outer roads of Al Mouj, as part of the West Asia Para Games (Muscat 2026). Both events attract strong participation from male and female athletes representing national teams.
The evening athletics session produced high-level performances and a wide spread of medals among Gulf and Arab nations. In the men’s 200m across various classifications, athletes from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iraq stood out, together with an impressive showing from Oman’s runners.

Omani sprinter Saif al Muqaimi claimed silver in the T13/46/47 category, while his compatriot Qusai al Rawahi took bronze. Fellow Omani Faisal al Balushi continued his good form with a strong finish in the T12 category, and Ibrahim al Amouri climbed the podium in T11.
In the middle-distance races, Jordan’s Mohammed Mosleh shone by winning gold in the 1,500m (T11/12/37), with Oman’s Saqr al Qasmi taking silver and Yemen’s Abdulrahman al Nafiesh securing bronze. Saudi dominance continued in the 1,500m T54, where Al Bara al Qarni took first place and Saleh al Suwailem finished second. The UAE’s Mohammed Yousef then returned to the spotlight by winning the 800m T34 ahead of rivals from Qatar and the UAE, while Oman’s Haitham al Darmaki capped his efforts with gold in the 800m T37/46.

In the throws, Gulf and Arab teams maintained a strong presence in discus, javelin and shot put. Iraq’s Jarrah Nassar won gold in the men’s discus F40/41, while the UAE’s Mohammed al Kaabi excelled in the F11/38/42/44/46 discus, with Saudi and Yemeni athletes also reaching the podium.
In women’s discus F33/34, Saudi Arabia’s Hadeel al Dossari took gold, followed by Qatar’s Samah Masoud with silver and Bahrain’s Zahra Jalbour with bronze. Oman’s Maktoum al Maqbali captured gold in the men’s javelin F51/54, with his compatriot Fawzi al Khanbashi taking silver, underlining Oman’s strong presence in the throws, while the UAE and Bahrain continued to impress in women’s shot put F37/40/46 through the trio of Maryam al Zwaidi (UAE), Maryam al Humaidi (Bahrain) and Maryam al Matroushi (UAE).

In the men’s long jump T12, Oman asserted their dominance as Othman al Habsi claimed gold and teammate Faisal al Balushi secured silver in one of the standout technical performances of the day.
Wheelchair Basketball
In wheelchair basketball, excitement continued in the preliminary round. The UAE national team secured an important 62–42 victory over Bahrain, while Oman’s national team suffered a narrow 49–48 defeat to Saudi Arabia in a thrilling game that remained in the balance until the final seconds. Iraq, meanwhile, continued their strong run with a 62–36 win over Bahrain.

Qusai Ghassan Abbas, head coach of the Saudi wheelchair basketball team, praised the technical level and organisation of the Games, describing this edition as one of the strongest in terms of performance and the breadth of competition among teams.
He pointed to the clear progress made by the Bahraini and Omani teams, noting that Omani players are delivering performances that reflect a more advanced basketball philosophy compared to previous editions. He confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s ambition is to reach the semifinals at least, while also expressing his appreciation for the organisation and warm hospitality in the Sultanate of Oman and the positive impact this has had in creating an ideal environment for the athletes.