MUSCAT: Oman’s national swimming teams have stepped up preparations for their upcoming international commitments by entering an overseas training camp in Egypt, as the Oman Aquatics Association (OAA) seeks to raise the swimmers’ technical and physical readiness ahead of two Arab championships later this year.
The training camp will run until August 31 and forms part of the federation’s preparations for the Arab Open Water Swimming Championship in Tunisia from October 2 to 4, followed by the Arab Swimming Championship in Bahrain from November 13 to 17.
The national team recently completed an intensive domestic camp at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher before travelling to Egypt to continue its preparations. The programme is focused on improving technical performance, physical conditioning and competitive readiness ahead of the two major regional events.
Dr Awwad bin Salim al Ajili, OAA Chairman, said the training camp reflects the federation’s commitment to developing national swimmers and providing them with comprehensive preparation programmes.
“The delegation travelled to Egypt for a preparatory camp ahead of the Arab championships in open-water and pool swimming,” Al Ajili said. “These preparations are part of the federation’s strategy to focus on our swimmers, particularly as most of our national team members are young and we currently have no swimmers over the age of 20.”
He explained that the preparation programme goes beyond technical and physical training to include mental preparation and the overall development of the swimmer.
“The objective is to build the swimmer in an integrated manner and ensure that our athletes are properly prepared for international competition,” he said.
Al Ajili added that the federation had considered several destinations, including Azerbaijan and Thailand, before selecting Egypt for the camp. The decision was based on the expected technical and training benefits that the Egyptian camp can provide to the national teams.
Following their return to Oman, the swimmers will continue their preparations under the supervision of the coaching staff. Greater attention will initially be given to open-water swimming because the Tunisian championship is the first major commitment on the calendar, while preparations for the Bahrain event will continue ahead of November.
FEMALE SWIMMER
The OAA is also considering a historic step by potentially including a female swimmer in an upcoming international competition. Al Ajili stressed, however, that no final decision has been made, as the necessary procedures, assessments and readiness requirements are still being completed.
He said the federation is also working to develop women’s national teams with the aim of beginning official participation in international competitions from next year.
The delegation includes head coach Mohamed Bouguerra, assistant coach Hamad al Kalibi and physiotherapist Hussein Belarif, along with swimmers Naif al Qasmi, Nasser al Kindi, Ibrahim al Wahibi, Shehab al Battashi, Mohamed al Wahibi, Hamad al Hasani, Mahmood Oulad Thani, Khalil al Hasani, Ghaith al Wahibi, Yousef al Salti, Elias al Harthi, Khalid al Hasani, Mohamed al Rahbi and Moamin al Abdali.
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