Ministry to felicitate top athletes at annual awards

MUSCAT, MAR 11
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY) will felicitate top-performing athletes during its annual sports awards ceremony which is scheduled to take place on April 1 at the Sheraton Oman Hotel. The yearly event will bring together athletes, coaches and sports administrators to celebrate the achievements of Omani sports figures who have delivered outstanding performances at regional, continental and international competitions.
More than 300 athletes representing individual and team sports are expected to be recognised during this year’s ceremony for their achievement of 2025. According to the ministry’s statistics, around 470 athletes were honoured last year after securing a combined total of 309 medals for Oman in various competitions during 2024.
Several national teams that recorded significant achievements over the past year are also expected to be honoured. Players of the Oman national football team will be recognised after finishing runners-up at the 26th edition of the Gulf Cup which was held in Kuwait. Oman had reached the final before losing to Bahrain in the title clash.
Meanwhile, the Oman national beach soccer team also had enjoyed a strong year. The team finished runners-up at the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 after reaching the final against Iran. Oman also participated in the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025, marking their sixth appearance at the prestigious world event.
HISTORIC SUCCESS
Among the standout achievements of the year was the historic success of the Oman national hockey team, which had captured the Asian Hockey Federation Cup title for the first time in its history. Oman had secured the championship after defeating Chinese Taipei 4-3 in the final of the tournament, which was held in Indonesia in April last year.
Oman’s beach volleyball teams also had delivered remarkable results during the season. The Omani duo of Hood al Jalboobi and Ahmed al Hosni had claimed the men’s title at the West Asian Beach Volleyball Championship held in Muscat in October last year. The pair had produced an impressive performance in the final to defeat Qatar in straight sets (21–12, 21–15), securing the gold medal. Their triumph came just one week after winning the Arab Beach Volleyball Championship, marking a historic double achievement for Oman.
In beach handball, the Oman national beach handball team had captured the title of the AHF Asian Beach Handball Championship in Muscat after defeating Iran 2-0 in the final. The victory had marked Oman’s second Asian title in the sport, ending a 21-year wait since their first championship in 2004.
Omani athletes also had delivered an outstanding performance at the GCC Beach Games Muscat 2025 which was held in Muscat last April. The Omani athletes had topped the overall standings with a total of 45 medals, including 20 gold, 18 silver and 7 bronze medals. The medals were achieved across several sports, including beach soccer, beach handball, athletics, swimming, sailing and tent pegging.
The other national teams which are expected to be in the stage will include basketball, shooting, table tennis, bodybuilding, e-sports, sailing, cycling, Oman automobile and other sporting teams which raised the Sultanate of Oman’s flag high on the regional and international stage.