MUSCAT: The Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) unveiled the details of Oman’s participation at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which will take place from September 23 to October 8.
With just over 13 days before the start of the Games, the OOC announced in a press meet recently at the headquarters of OOC that Oman’s delegation will comprise 44 athletes competing in seven sports namely: athletics, weightlifting, aquatics (swimming), sailing, shooting, hockey and beach volleyball.
Taha al Kishry, OOC Secretary-General, said that OOC in coordination with the participating sports associations and committees completed all the technical and logistics arrangements ahead of the Asian Games. “This edition of the Asian Games will also feature the presence of five Omani umpires in different competitions including aquatics, hockey and shooting. We are confident that the selected teams and athletes will put in their top show to register the desired results,” he added.
The chief of OOC highlighted during the meeting, attended by the team’s representatives, on the travel dates, competitions schedules, the venues, Olympic village’s location and Oman’s delegation roles and responsibilities. Moreover, he focused on the health procedures and the guidelines upon arrival in China against Covid 19.
Later on, Asaad al Hasani, Oman’s head of athletes committee, recommended all the participating athletes in the Asian Games to take part in the athletes election of Olympic Council of Asia as he explained the procedures of voting through an online system.
DIFFERENT SHOW
The competitions of beach volleyball and sailing will begin ahead of the official start of the Asian Games as it will commence on September 19 to 28. As many as six sailors will challenge at the Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing centre while four players from beach volleyball will represent Oman in volleyball competitions at the Ningbo Banbianshan Beach Volleyball centre.
Four athletes will vie in the athletics competition which will begin from September 30 until October 7 at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium. Shooting competitions will start on September 24 to October 1 at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre and the shooting team will comprise eight members. Two swimmers will take part in the aquatics competitions which will start from September 24 to 29 at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatics Sports Arena.
As many as 24 players from the hockey team will attend the competitions which will begin on September 24 to October 7 at Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium.
Oman athletes will eye a different show in this edition of the Asian Games as 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia ended with no medals despite Oman attending with 46 athletes.
Oman’s historic credit at the Asian Games is four medals including a lone gold and three bronze medals.
Oman’s Olympian sprinter Mohammed al Malki had created history when he became the first Omani to claim a gold in the men’s 400m race in Beijing Games in 1990. Al Malki had also bagged a bronze medal in the same category in Asian Games in Seoul in 1986. Oman’s men’s 4x100m relay team won the bronze medal in Bangkok Games in 1998 while the latest Asian bronze medal was won by Oman’s fastest sprint Barakat al Harthy in men’s 100m at the 2010 Guangzhou Games in China.
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