Muscat: HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, presided over the opening ceremony of the 10th GCC Universities Sports Tournament which kicked off at the Cultural Centre at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), on Sunday.
The tenth sports tournament for students of universities and higher education institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is organized by Sultan Qaboos University and will continue until January 24.
The opening ceremony witnessed a speech by the GCC Secretariat- General, a speech by the university, folk arts shows, a Gulf music medley, a review of the entry of the participating teams and a short film entitled Our Gulf is Our Pride, followed by the official announcement of the start of the tournament.
Sixteen universities are participating in this edition of the tournament, namely Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, King Saud University, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha University of Science and Technology, Jazan University, Saudi Electronic University, Ummul Al Qura University, United Arab Emirates University, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Qassim University, Kuwait University, Majmaah University, Qatar University, King Khalid University, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University as well as hosts Sultan Qaboos University.
A total of 555 participants will compete in athletics, swimming, football, three-a-side basketball, volleyball, badminton, and table tennis. The competitions will be held in various sports venues such as the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Seeb Sports Stadium, and the Military Technical College.
The tournament is a real opportunity for the students to develop their sports talents and enhance academic and sports cooperation between universities and higher education institutions in the GCC countries.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Khalid bin Ali al Sunaidi, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development Affairs at the Secretariat-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, delivered a speech in which he said: “First, I extend to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik my thanks and gratitude for his generous support to the joint GCC action in all fields including education, sports and youth activities, praying to Allah Almighty to bless our countries and peoples with security, peace and prosperity. We also thank HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, for his generous patronage of the opening ceremony of the 10th Sports Tournament for Students of Universities and Higher Education Institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries which reflects his keenness to support creative youth in the field of education in our societies and thanks are extended to HH Sayyid Dr Fahd bin Al Julanda al Said, Vice-Chancellor of SQU for hosting this sports tournament at the university.”
The slogan ‘Our Gulf is Our Pride’
The 10th GCC Universities Sports Tournament comes is organized under the slogan Our Gulf is Our Pride to highlight fraternal ties between university students and higher education institutions in the GCC States as well as enhancing sports and cultural cooperation. The tournament’s slogan refers to the meanings expressed by the tournament which combines honorable competition and fraternal spirit. The slogan also expresses the true spirit of this tournament whose goals are not only focused on the sports but also values and ethics and contributes to strengthening GCC belonging and pride in common roots. The slogan ‘Our Gulf is Our Pride’ is not just words rather, it is a message confirming that the youth of the GCC, despite the differences in their countries, come together with one spirit and noble goals. Sultan Qaboos University seeks to enhance the spirit of national belonging and empower students athletically to raise the name of their educational institutions in addition to strengthening fraternal ties between students and exchanging experiences between them.
Sports Create Future Leaders
On the importance of the 10th GCC Universities Sports Tournament in enhancing GCC cooperation and building the student’s character, Dr Raya bint Salem al Mandhariyah, Dean of Student Affairs and Head of the Tournament’s Main Committee, said: “At the heart of Sultan Qaboos University, where ambitious minds meet renewed energies, the 10th Sports Tournament for University and Higher Education Students in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries is being organized. It is undoubtedly a sporting event that writes a new chapter of cooperation and competition among the GCC youth. This tournament is more than just a sporting event; rather, it is a platform for building bridges of brotherhood and cooperation among GCC students, and enhancing the values of belonging and teamwork. It is a different experience for the university student, contributing to refining his character, in terms of accustoming him to commitment, discipline and working within a team, in addition to dealing with challenges with a sporting spirit and noble competition, and before that, his sense of responsibility to represent his country and university, and all of this is positively reflected in his academic and professional career in the future.”
“Individual and team sports contribute to developing students’ skills as the games reflect our interest in meeting students’ various interests and developing a variety of skills in them. Team sports such as football and volleyball enhance team spirit and joint work, while individual games such as swimming and athletics develop concentration and personal planning skills. This combination of sports prepares the student to be balanced and able to face various situations, and adapt himself to the various circumstances and situations that he may face in his daily life as well.”, she said.
The 10th GCC Universities Sports Tournament Qaboos University is a continuation of the series of sports tournaments organized by universities and higher education institutions in the GCC countries under the umbrella of the GCC Secretariat-General with the aim of enhancing cohesion among students, confirming the spirit of national belonging and fostering the sense of unity among the people of the GCC countries.
The football competitions, which kicked off on Sunday, witnessed great excitement in four matches. The Sultan Qaboos University team was beat the Doha University of Science and Technology 3/0. The University of Technology and Applied Sciences team beat Kuwait University, 6/1, the Al Majmaah University team beat Umm Al Qura University 1/0 and Jazan University beat Hamdan Bin Khalifa University 7/0.
The tournament is overseen by a team from several universities. The tournament’s supervisory committee consists of Sultan Qaboos University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Umm Al Qura University, Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, King Faisal University, and the GCC Secretariat- Genera of the. The tournament’s technical committee consists of Sultan Qaboos University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Umm Al Qura University, Kuwait University, United Arab Emirates University, Arabian Gulf University and the GCC Secretariat- General. The players’ eligibility committee comprises the GCC Secretariat- General, Sultan Qaboos University and the University of Technology and Applied Sciences.
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