MUSCAT: The Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) represented by Oman Olympic Academy (OOA) in collaboration with International Olympic Solidarity launched a training project on Monday to promote Olympic culture and values.
The first session of the project, 'Training of Trainers in Olympic Values Education' was held at the headquarters of OOC and will conclude on Tuesday. It will also be held at the Directorate of Culture, Sports, and Youth in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate starting from Tuesday for two consecutive days, and at the Directorate of Culture, Sports and Youth in Al Dhahirah Governorate on Sunday and Monday of the following week. This programme aims to support Oman Olympic movement across various segments of society, including athletes, coaches, students, and teachers, by enhancing awareness of Olympic philosophy and its importance in shaping Omani Olympic champions.
This programme is part of the project to promote Olympic culture and values, which is one of the important projects adopted and supported by International Olympic Committee (IOC). It involves the use of educational materials and guides on Olympic values education issued by the International Olympic Solidarity. It contributes to reinforcing Olympic values and principles among young athletes, students, and children of various ages and educational stages through sports activities based on learning and applying behavioural and educational values endorsed by the IOC.
The programme is being presented by Hisham bin Salem al Adwani, project manager accredited by IOC, along with Dr Ali bin Abdulrahman al Bakri as the main lecturer of the programme, and Abdullah bin Khalfan al Hinai as the assistant lecturer. The programme includes a wide range of national personnel working in sports institutions and bodies in the Sultanate of Oman, including clubs, sports academies, and private teams.
The project to promote Olympic culture and values in Oman is divided into two programmes: the Training of Trainers in Olympic Values Education programme and the Olympic Culture and Values Initiatives programme. The project will be implemented in all governorates of Oman gradually over two years (2024-2025) as a first phase, with an evaluation before starting subsequent phases. The first phase includes Muscat, Al Dakhiliyah and Al Dhahirah, while the second phase includes the governorates of Al Batinah South and Al Batinah North and Musandam during the last quarter of 2024.
The project idea revolves around training a group of trainers (future trainers) selected based on a mechanism aligned with the Olympic Values Education Programme over two consecutive days of theoretical and practical lectures. They are introduced to the programme applications and taught how to utilise its resources and curriculum, tailored to the general direction of IOC, considering the Omani society environment. Additionally, some local initiatives are introduced to enhance Olympic education in Oman.
After training and accreditation, these trainers apply the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained over two days autonomously within three months, disseminating them within schools, clubs, or centres they belong to. The best applications and initiatives executed by them are then evaluated and the top three local applications are selected by a central committee composed of four local judges to determine the winning schools, clubs, or centres, with the top three places in all initiatives considered.
Regarding the programme, Hisham bin Salem al Adwani, project manager, stated: "The project to promote Olympic culture and values in Oman has been designed to align with the formation of the Omani society and the committee's goals to support the Olympic movement in Oman. It meets the IOC's direction in instilling Olympic values and principles among society's segments, especially athletes, making sports a platform for enjoyment through training efforts, competitions, excellence, forming friendships, and respecting laws, colleagues, coaches, referees, and everyone."
He added: "The project's importance lies in expanding the fields and segments targeted by OOC to support the Olympic movement in the Sultanate of Oman, by reaching out to schools, clubs, academies, sports centres, and even private teams, where athletes are initially trained. It establishes a strong relationship between OOC and the sports community, changing the perception of the role of OOC to participate not only in Olympic events and sports competitions but also in promoting Olympic values."
Al Adwani pointed out that the project has multiple objectives, including supporting and instilling the principles of the Olympic movement among youth and young people in Oman, promoting Olympic culture and values among coaches, students, and athletes in schools, clubs, academies, sports centres, and private sports teams, in addition to equipping teachers and coaches with the skills and knowledge to instil Olympic values among students and athletes in training sessions and sports competitions.
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