MUSCAT, MARCH 1
The Oman Bodybuilding Committee (OBC) revealed the details of the 18th Oman Open Championship for Bodybuilding. The competitions will be held from March 9 to 11 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
The announcement of the launch of the championship was made by the OBC on Wednesday, in the presence of Chairman Dr Salim bin Said al Bahri.
Dr Salim al Bahri affirmed the committee’s keenness to support young people and contribute positively to enhancing their capabilities in bodybuilding.
Al Bahri said: “The championship is one of the tournaments open to all those wishing to participate from the Sultanate of Oman and abroad. It is one of the important tournaments that had a glorious role in Oman reaching the podiums in the last World Championship in Spain where the team was able to win five medals including gold, silver and bronze. Oman also won medals in the Asian Championship. This 18th edition of the tournament will be a good opportunity for young people to prove their abilities and win first places, which gives them the chance to be selected for the national team.”
The championship is an opportunity for the first places to represent Oman national team in the upcoming competitions, as the committee participates in a number of upcoming tournaments, including the Asian Championship, which Lebanon will host next August, as well as the World Championship, which Spain will host next November. Al Bahri pointed out that the heads of the Gulf federations are studying the establishment of a Gulf Bodybuilding Championship with the announcement expected during the coming period.
TWO NEW CATEGORIES
This year, the committee introduced two new categories; one for the people with disabilites and another for youths aged between 16 to 23 years. It said athletes with disabilities are an integral part of this country and their participation is an opportunity for them to prove their capabilities.
Al Bahri explained that the introduction of this category is the first initiative in the region after its competitions were included in the world championships.
Regarding the participation fees of the players in the tournament, Al Bahri said, “The committee sought not to increase the fees, in order to facilitate the participation of a larger number of players, as the participation of the player for one category set an amount of RO 30 and for the player participating in two categories, a fee of RO 50. A fee of RO 3 was approved for the audience to attend and RO 3 for the coach.”
Al Bahri explained that the dye used in the championship is the international dye approved by the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFB), which is the type (Protaque), and it is an easy dye in use and cost.
Tournament Schedule
On March 9, the scale and lengths will be taken.
The first day of the competition on March 10 will be devoted to two categories. The first category is ‘Men physique’ for junior bodybuilding (16-23 years), Men physiques up to 168 cm, Men physiques up to 174 cm, Men physiques up to 178 cm, and the champion of champions. The second category is ‘muscular physique’ for Men physiques up to 175 cm and Men physiques over 175 cm.
The second day on March 11 will be devoted to three categories. The first category is the ‘bodybuilding category’ for under 65 kg, under 75 kg, under 85 kg, above 85 kg and ‘champion of champions’. The second category is ‘classic body building’ for the length of the first up to 171 cm, the length of the second up to 175 cm and the length of the third up to 175 cm. The last categories will be for the wheelchairs for the people with disabilities with one open weight.
Tournament Referees
The OBC has selected the best referees, as the Referees Committee in the tournament is chaired by referee Jose Maria, Chairman of the Referees Committee of the International Federation, and the membership of international referees from Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The committee introduced this year the Referees Course, which will be held on the sidelines of the championship, and the Spaniard Jose Maria, Chairman of the Referees Committee of the Asian Federation, will lecture on it.
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