MUSCAT, August 19 - A great success has been recorded for the first edition of the beach hockey tournament which was held in Salalah from August 16 to 17 as part of the ongoing Salalah Tourism Festival. The tournament was a great platform for all the hockey players in the Sultanate including the national team players in different categories, local clubs and veteran players.
Al Faraj al Arabiya Company lifted the title of the tournament after beating the Seeb Club 4-2 in a thriller on Saturday. Dhofar team settled for the third place. As many as 12 teams took part in the tournament including some local clubs and private companies at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment. The list of teams included Dhofar Club, Seeb, Mirbat, Nizwa, Al Bashayer, Al Ettihad, Al Nasr (A), Al Nasr (B), Golden Opal Company, Faraj al Arabiya Company, Shrooq al Mustaqbal Company, Al Faraj al Arabiya Company and Dhofar Governorate team.
A two-day tournament held in knockout stages from two rounds with a total of 23 matches.
Shaikh Badar bin Ali al Rawas, Chairman of Oman Volleyball Association (OVA), was the chief guest in presence of Dr Mansour al Touqi, General Manager of Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment and Chairman of Oman Paralympic Committee, Mohammed al Battrani, Chairman of Organising Committee, and officials. The chief guest awarded the trophies and medals to the top winners after the final match.
Mohammed bin Abdullah al Battrani, Chairman of Organising Committee and tournaments manager, stated that the hockey enthusiasts were impressed as the Sultanate hosted the beach version of the sport for the first time. “The tournament was a great chance for the hockey players to discuss further on the best ways and ideas to develop the upcoming editions of the tournament. Many lessons were learned from the first edition,” Al Battrani added.
The tournaments manager said the tournament was played as per the international rules and regulations. Also, the beach playground was designed as per the standards of the international rules. “Many of the Sultanate’s coaches and players grabbed the opportunity to learn more about the rules of the sport in good details. Also, during the two days, many Omani fans attended to cheer their teams at the different rounds of the tournament and enjoy the matches,” he said.
Al Battrani, an experienced Oman hockey coach, concluded his statement through sending a dedicated thanks to all the teams, referees, sponsors, partners, media and members of organising committee for their positive contribution to the success of the tournament.
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