Oman team to take part in Asian Table Tennis Championships in Tashkent

MUSCAT: The Oman’s national table tennis team is gearing up for a significant continual appearance as the team take part in the 29th ITTF-ATTU Asian Table Tennis Championships 2026 which will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from October 19 to 25, 2026.
The Asian Championships will represent a major test for Oman’s leading players, with the event bringing together some of the strongest table tennis nations in the continent. The championship will also serve as an important qualification pathway for the WTTC Finals 2027, adding further significance to Oman’s participation.
Oman will field a five-player squad comprising Muhannad al Balushi, Ahmed al Riyami, Ghassan al Ghassani, Bilal al Rashdi and Nasser al Balushi. The team will be accompanied by a technical staff led by head coach Omid Shams of Iran, with Syrian assistant coach Adnan Fawakherji also part of the coaching team. The team entered an intensive phase of technical and physical preparation as the coaching staff works to ensure that the players reach Tashkent in their best possible condition. The preparatory programme is focusing on tactical awareness, technical execution, match readiness and physical conditioning, with particular attention being given to the demands of competing against high-level Asian opponents.
For Oman, the Asian event competition will give the players valuable international experience and exposure as the Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) continues its efforts to strengthen the national team’s competitiveness at regional and international level.

Muhannad al Balushi from Al Amerat club will enter the Asian Championships with confidence after claiming the men’s singles title at the Senior National Table Tennis Championship earlier this month. Al Balushi defeated Seeb Club’s Nasser al Balushi 3-1 in the final to secure the national crown. Ghassan al Ghassani, also representing Seeb Club, finished third after defeating his club teammate Haitham al Mandhari 3-1.
The recent national championship provided an important competitive platform for the players ahead of the continental assignment and offered the technical staff an opportunity to assess the current form of the leading national-team candidates.
Last month, Oman team had recorded a strong medal haul at the West Asia Table Tennis Championships in Jordan, collecting three medals after seven days of competition involving national teams from across the region. The results included one silver and two bronze medals, with Oman’s young players demonstrating their potential in team and doubles competitions.
Ahmed al Rawahi and Iyad al Jassasi had secured the silver medal in the boys’ under-19 doubles. The Omani pair advanced to the final after defeating Qatar’s Taqi al Din Najadat and Jad al Baisani 3-2 in a closely contested semifinal. The pair then produced another determined display in the final but narrowly lost 3-2 to Qatar’s Ahmed Qarni and Rawad Al Nasser to finish runners-up.
Talia al Rawahi, Salma al Nasri and Fatma al Balushi won bronze in the girls’ U13 team event while another bronze followed in the girls’ U13 doubles, where Salma al Nasri and Talia al Rawahi had reached the semifinals before losing 3-1 to Qatar’s Kinda Mahmoud and Hessa.