MUSCAT: Omani athletes are gearing up to compete in the 12th Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025, which began in Turin, Italy, from March 7 to 16.
This prestigious event will see over 1,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 102 countries competing in eight winter sports, including alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, dance, figure skating, snowshoeing and short-track speed skating.
Oman is sending a strong contingent, comprising six athletes with intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome, along with six coaches, three administrators and a doctor. The delegation will compete in snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and short-track speed skating.
The Oman’s Teams for Turin 2025 are:
Snowshoeing: Salem al Ghafri and Amira al Raisi (Coaches: Khamis al Muqbali and Dalal Ambusaidi)
Cross-Country Skiing: Al Baraa al Battashi and Nabaa al Harthy (Coaches: Kamil al Lawati and Nima al Hashemi)
Short Track Speed Skating: Hossam al Amri and Retaj al Salami (Coaches: Safwan al Balushi and Maryam al Dhamri)
The Oman Special Olympics has been meticulously preparing its athletes through skill assessments, intensive training sessions and international coaching programmes.
Chairman Mohammed bin Salem al Rashdi highlighted that the selection process involved specialised skill tests in winter sports, conducted by experienced coaches.
As part of their preparation, Omani coaches participated in an external training course in Egypt in November 2024, aimed at enhancing their expertise in snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Omani athletes trained at Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Snow Centres across Oman and the UAE, joining teams from the UAE and Egypt in their preparations. A significant boost to the programme came with the launch of the Special Olympics UAE Snow Sport Team Development Strategy in October 2023, which outlined a four-stage roadmap (Outsourcing, Recognition, Team Formation and Continuity) to ensure long-term sustainability.
This initiative led to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Majid Al Futtaim and Special Olympics UAE in January 2024 during the FIS World Snow Day celebrations.
Inspired by the UAE’s success, similar training programmes were adopted across MAF Snow Centres in Oman and Egypt, resulting in the formation of nine snow sport teams and one ice sport team.
Oman has a history of strong performances in the Special Olympics World Winter Games: They won 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze in South Korea in 2013 and 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze in Austria in 2017. Omani athletes are ready to make their mark on the world stage, showcasing their skill, resilience and the spirit of inclusion in winter sports in Turin.
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