MUSCAT: Oman’s national beach soccer team have intensified their daily training sessions at the sand pitch of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher as part of their fifth preparatory camp ahead of the 6th Asian Beach Games, to be held in Sanya, China, from April 22 to 30.
The current training camp runs from March 23 to 30 and includes two friendly matches against Belarus, offering the technical staff an important chance to assess the squad’s readiness before the upcoming continental challenge.
The squad for this camp remains unchanged from the previous gathering, with head coach Talib bin Hilal al Thanawi retaining the same 16 players. The list includes Khalid al Oraimi, Abdullah al Sooti, Ahmed al Mashikhi, Sami al Balushi, Ahmed al Owaisi, Salem al Oraimi, Al Yaqdhan al Hindasi, Khalfan al Ghazali, Younis al Owaisi, Fahad al Mashikhi, Musllam al Oraimi, Mohammed al Oraimi, Majid al Afari, Abdulrahman al Fazaari, Zakariya al Qurtoobi and Qusai al Balushi.
Belarus arrive for friendlies
Belarus arrived in Muscat early on Tuesday to play two friendlies against Oman on March 26 and 28. Oman will play the first match on Thursday at 7 pm, before meeting the same opponents again on Saturday at 5 pm. Both matches will be held at the sand pitch of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
For Oman, the friendlies represent a valuable test against one of the strongest teams in world beach soccer. Belarus are ranked fourth in the world in the latest international rankings issued in January, while Oman are placed 11th, underlining the quality of opposition and the technical value of the two matches.
The draw for the Asian Beach Games placed Oman in Group A alongside hosts China and Palestine, while Group B features Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
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