200 students join disabilities sports day

MUSCAT, APRIL 16
The activities of the School Sports and Cultural Day for Students with Disabilities concluded at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, bringing together 200 male and female students in an event that combined sporting challenge and cultural creativity in an inclusive and interactive setting.
The event was organised by the Oman School Sports Association in Muscat Governorate with support from Oman LNG LLC, and was held under the auspices of Ali bin Mohammed al Shukaili, Assistant Director-General for Administrative and Financial Affairs.
Participants represented Al Amal School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Omar bin Al Khattab Institute for the Blind, Al Amal Centre in Al Khoudh, and inclusive education students from schools across the governorates, with 50 participants from each entity.
The programme was designed to deliver an integrated and innovative sports and cultural experience aimed at strengthening the social inclusion of students with disabilities through sport and culture, while boosting self-confidence, discovering sporting and creative talents, supporting community partnerships, and providing a safe and encouraging environment.
Activities were spread across three halls to ensure variety and suitability for the participating groups. The main hall staged football for male students with hearing impairments, basketball for female students with hearing impairments, and an athletics skills package for students with Down syndrome, before all groups came together for the 50-metre sprint challenge, one of the day’s main highlights.
Meanwhile, the first side hall hosted goalball for students with visual impairments and boccia for students with physical disabilities, while the second side hall was dedicated to the cultural station, featuring drawing, electronic games, robot games, chess and table tennis.
The event followed a phased timetable that began with welcoming participants and distributing shirts and groups, before the start of competitions in the different halls, followed by the central gathering for the sprint challenge and the closing recognition ceremony.
Maryam bint Saif al Hosni, school activities supervisor at the School Sports Committee in Muscat Governorate, said involving students from different disability categories in sports and cultural events is not merely recreational, but a genuine educational and humanitarian right that reinforces equal opportunities.
POSITIVE INTERACTION
She added that such initiatives create a real environment for inclusion through positive interaction built on respect and appreciation, helping break psychological and social barriers while also promoting a wider culture of acceptance and diversity in society.
For his part, Asaad bin Mohammed al Qarni, a physical education teacher, said the event is held annually and targets students with physical, visual, hearing and intellectual disabilities. He noted that the programme included six athletics stations for children, basketball and football for students with hearing impairments, boccia for students with physical disabilities, as well as cultural and recreational activities including virtual reality, drawing, chess and children’s games.
He stressed that the importance of such events goes beyond recreation, as they allow students with disabilities to practise sport with their peers, support their physical and psychological well-being, and strengthen their integration into society. He added that parents showed strong support and welcomed the event as an important outlet for their children.