Basketball Development Festival kicks off with 119 players

Muscat, Jan 16

The Basketball Athletes Preparation Centres Festival for the 2010–2012 age group got off to an exciting start, showcasing varied technical levels and competitive action. The festival was organised by the Oman Basketball Association from January 15 to 17 at the auxiliary hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, with the participation of 119 male and female players, alongside 19 coaches and administrators representing seven accredited training centres for both boys and girls.

Six teams took part in the boys’ competition, representing the centres of Sohar, Salalah, Nizwa, Al Amerat, Seeb and Al Bashayer. Meanwhile, the girls’ competition featured four teams: Muscat Girls Centre (A), Muscat Girls Centre (B), Indian School (A) and Indian School (B).

In the girls’ matches on the opening day, Muscat Girls Centre (A) defeated Indian School (B), while Indian School (B) edged past Muscat Girls Centre (B) with an 18–16 victory.

The boys’ competition was more intense and competitive among the six centres. Al Amerat Centre defeated Nizwa Centre 20–17, while Sohar Centre secured a hard-fought 13–10 win over Seeb Centre. Salalah Centre recorded a thrilling 28–26 victory over Sohar Centre. In another match, Al Amerat Centre (B) claimed an easy 16–0 win over Nizwa Centre (B). Al Amerat Centre also defeated Seeb Centre 25–12, while Al Bashayer earned an important 18–9 victory over Seeb Centre.

DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES

Matches continue on Friday and Saturday as part of the annual plan of the Centres' Supervision Committee, which aims to monitor players’ development from technical, physical and psychological perspectives and to provide a motivating competitive environment that enhances their commitment to training and performance improvement. The festival also offers coaches a practical opportunity to evaluate applied training programmes and further develop them in line with players’ needs.

Abubakr bin Ahmed al Jahwari, Vice Chairman of the Oman Basketball Association and Head of the Centres Supervision Committee, stressed the importance of Athletes Preparation Centres festivals in measuring players’ performance development. He noted that these festivals represent a key milestone for the association, players and parents, as they serve as a platform to assess progress and exchange coaching expertise and form part of a series of events included in the Basketball Athletes Preparation Centres programme.

Al Jahwari added that this is the second such festival and that it included two main components: the first consisted of station-based training sessions focusing on developing fundamental defensive and offensive skills, while the second featured competitive matches among the boys’ centres, along with friendly matches for the girls against Indian School teams.