OHF to approve club entries, review 2028 beach worlds bid

MUSCAT: The Oman Handball Federation (OHF) will hold its regular Board of Directors meeting on Thursday under the chairmanship of Moosa bin Khamis al Balushi, OHF President to discuss a range of strategic and administrative matters as preparations continue for the 2026/2027 season.

Ahead of the board meeting, the National Teams and Coaches Committee will convene to review technical and administrative issues related to the national teams before submitting its recommendations for final approval.

One of the meeting's key agenda items will be an update on Oman’s bid to host the 2028 IHF Men's and Women's Beach Handball World Championship. The federation is seeking to bring the prestigious global event back to the Sultanate of Oman for a second time after successfully staging the championship in 2012 at the Sports City in Al Musannah, an event widely regarded as a milestone in the development of beach handball in the region.

The board will also finalise preparations for the new domestic season by approving club participation across the federation's competitions. A total of 29 clubs have confirmed their intention to compete in the upcoming campaign, which will feature eight competitions: the Youth League, Junior League, Super Cup, First Division League, Second Division League, Federation Cup, Beach Handball League and the Women's League.

An attempt by player Said al Hasani to shoot the ball and score an individual goal.

The participating clubs are Al Ittihad, Oman Club, Muscat, Masirah, Al Tali'a, Nizwa, Al Salam, Al Nasr, Al Amerat, Al Musannah, Qurayat, Majees, Al Seeb, Al Suwaiq, Al Rustaq, Sohar, Mirbat, Ahli Sidab, Al Oruba, Al Khabourah, Al Shabab, Saham, Salalah, Al Nahda, Khasab, Taqah, Dhofar, Ibri and Al Bashayer.

Board members will also review administrative and technical reports on Oman's participation in the IHF Beach Handball World Championship held from June 23 to 28, as well as assess the national youth team's campaign at the 19th Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship, staged in Zhuzhou, China, from July 15 to 26. The evaluation is expected to identify key technical and organisational lessons to strengthen future national team preparations.

The meeting will conclude with a review of the federation's financial position and incoming correspondence as officials continue planning for the new season and the federation's upcoming development programmes.