Muscat 2026 West Asia Para Games conclude on Feb 7

Muscat: Saturday marks the conclusion of the West Asia Para Games (Muscat 2026), held from February 1 to 7 with the participation of more than 600 male and female athletes from 11 countries, competing in nine para sports across several venues in Muscat.
In goalball, the semifinal stage saw Oman and Saudi Arabia reach the final. Oman defeated Iraq 6–4 in a thrilling encounter that remained competitive until the final seconds, while Saudi Arabia overcame Qatar 11–3.
Boccia competitions witnessed outstanding performances from Oman’s national team. Arwa al Harthy claimed the gold medal in the BC1 women’s category, while her teammate Kholoud al Kindi took silver. In BC1 men, Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz al Zahrani won gold, Iraq’s Mohammed Fadel took silver and Oman’s Sameer al Sulaimi secured bronze.
In BC2 women, Iraq's Haneen Ali clinched gold, Saudi Arabia’s Zahraa al Abyad took silver and Oman's Fathiya al Harthy earned bronze. In BC4 women, UAE’s Raeesa al Falasi was crowned with gold, while Oman’s Fatma al Balushi took silver.
SAUDI TOP ATHLETICS, OMAN FOURTH
Saudi Arabia topped the athletics medals table with 39 medals (21 gold, 13 silver and 5 bronze), followed by Iraq with 23 medals and the UAE with 36 medals. Oman finished fourth with 27 medals, including 7 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze, followed by Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Syria and Lebanon.
In wheelchair basketball, Iraq continued their strong run with two emphatic wins, defeating Bahrain 62–36 and then Oman 71–21. The UAE team overcame Saudi Arabia 57–31, allowing Iraq and the UAE to strengthen their position in the race for the top places.
The para swimming events saw impressive performances from athletes in the 50m freestyle (physical impairment), Iraq’s Falah Monis took gold in the first heat, followed by compatriot Muqtada Juma with silver and Lebanon’s Abdullah Yassin with bronze. In the second heat, Iraq’s Rasool Abdulredha won gold, with Syria’s Nader Hamwi taking silver.
In the third heat, Iraqi swimmer Mustafa Abd claimed gold, Iraqi Mohammed Ashour took silver and Syrian Walid al Khas earned bronze. In the fourth heat, Iraq’s Muslim Awad captured gold, Saudi Arabia’s Iyad al Malki took silver and Syria’s Rami Qashqo claimed bronze.
In the 50m freestyle for visually impaired athletes, Qatar’s Shamel Shahouf won gold, compatriot Khalifa al Mutlaq took silver and Saudi Arabia’s Yousuf Talal secured bronze. In the first heat of the 50m backstroke (physical impairment), Saudi swimmer Ibrahim al Marzouqi won gold, Iraq’s Muqtada Jum’a took silver and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Ali earned bronze.
In the second heat, Syria’s Walid al Khas clinched gold, compatriot Rami Qashqo took silver and Saudi swimmer Turki al Harbi won bronze. In the 50m butterfly (physical impairment), Saudi Ibrahim al Marzouqi added another gold, while Iraq’s Mustafa Imad took silver. Iraqi swimmers then dominated the 400m freestyle (physical impairment), with Mohammed Ashour, Murtada Mahmoud and Qasim Kamel taking gold, silver and bronze respectively.
IRAQ SHINE IN TT
On the opening day of the table tennis competition, Iraq’s Hadeel Abdulkarim claimed first place in the women’s class 1–2–3 event, with Saudi Arabia’s Zahraa al Tali finishing second and Maryam al Marsil in third. In men’s class 9, Syria’s Abdulrazzaq al Masri took the title, ahead of Palestine’s Mohammed Sijdiyyeh in second, while Oman’s Hakam al Abri was third. In women’s class 4–5, Iraqi player Rusal Subhi secured first place, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Ranad al Ruhailee and Iraq’s Baneen Abdulkarim in third.
In men’s class 1–2, Iraq’s Ali Abdulameer topped the podium, with Saudi Arabia’s Rakan al Salmi second and Oman’s Abdullah al Abri third. Saudi player Ibrahim al Hasan won men’s class 3, with Iraq’s Rasool Jaafar second and the UAE’s Thani al Shehi third. In men’s class 10, Syrian players dominated, as Haitham Qassas took gold and teammate Safwan Hawash silver, while Yemen’s Khaled al Daram finished third.
Men’s classes 6–7–8 saw clear Iraqi superiority, with Muntazir Farooq claiming first place, Hassan Hamza second and Mohammed Qahtan third. Iraq continued their success in men’s class 4–5, as Mustafa Ghanem took first place, compatriot Khudair Abbas finished second and Syria’s Amer Subhi came third.