MUSCAT, APRIL 15
The Oman Racket Sports Committee (ORSC) is all set to organise two events in badminton for senior categories in April and May. The first event, for Omani players only, will take place during April 30 to May 2 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex providing a focused platform for local talents to compete and showcase their skills. This event will be followed by the Oman Open Badminton Championship, scheduled from May 7 to 9 at the same venue, which will be open to Omani, expatriate and professional players.
The three days championships for both events will be under supervision of the national badminton head coach, Waseem Nasr al Khateeb, who took charge as head coach since September 2025. Nasr al Khuzairi, who was appointed recently as assistant head coach, will also be available to assess and evaluate the performance of the domestic players. The championships will act as golden opportunity for the coaching staff in identifying the top-performing athletes, with selected players expected to represent Oman in future regional and continental events, including the West Asian and Arab badminton championships.
The ORSC emphasised that organising two separate events including: one exclusively for Omani players and another open to a wider pool of participants will aim to provide the ideal competitive environment for local athletes. The approach will allow Omani players to first compete among themselves before testing their abilities against experienced expatriate and professional players, thereby gaining valuable exposure and improving their technical performance.
BROADER STRATEGY
The initiative reflects ORSC’s broader strategy to strengthen the development pathway for badminton in Oman by increasing the number of high-level competitions and enhancing player readiness for international participation. The committee has already demonstrated its commitment to the sport through successful organisation of domestic events.
In December last year, ORSC had hosted the Oman Badminton Clubs Championship, which witnessed strong participation and a high level of competition among clubs from across the country. During that tournament, Salim al Maqbali of Masirah Club successfully retained his men’s singles title after defeating Sultan al Shibani of Al Amerat Club in straight sets. Meanwhile, Khalil al Darmaki of Bausher Club and Nasser al Jabri of Sohar Club had finished in third place.
In the doubles category, Oman Club had dominated the competition, with both of their teams reaching the final to secure first and second places, while Taqah Club and Al Amerat Club had ended joint third. The championship had attracted participation from 15 clubs representing various governorates across Oman, including Salalah, Al Bashayer, Al Musannah, Seeb, Al Shabab, Oman Club, Saham, Sohar, Fanja, Taqah, Bausher, Ibri, Al Amerat, Qurayat and Masirah.
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