Al Noor triumphs over Kuwait in Goalball Challenge opener
Published: 06:07 PM,Jul 21,2024 | EDITED : 10:07 PM,Jul 21,2024
Al Noor triumphs over Kuwait in Goalball Challenge opener
Muscat: The Al Noor blind goalball team, representing Oman, kicked off their campaign in GoalBall Challenge of Gulf Clubs and Associations for the Blind Championship with a resounding 18-8 victory over Kuwait's Al Basira Team.
The championship is being hosted by Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Al Noor Association for the Blind, in cooperation with the Oman Paralympic Committee, from July 20 to 24 at the main hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bousher. In other opening matches, Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli defeated the UAE's Association 16-6, while Qatar defeated Bahrain's Al Sadaqa 11-5.
HH Sayyid Adham bin Turki bin Mahmoud al Said, in his opening speech, praised the role of the Al Noor Association for the Blind and the Oman Paralympic Committee in organising the championship.
He said, 'It is clear that such gatherings represent social and humanitarian empowerment for different segments of society, not just the blind. They strengthen Gulf ties and enable individuals to reach the global level'.
'The tourism and economic sectors can benefit from the increasing size of these sports gatherings, pointing to the importance of the participation of non-disabled individuals in these events in a friendly and participatory manner', he added.
HH Sayyid Adham also highlighted the importance of hosting this championship in preparation for the West Asia Championship, which will be hosted by Oman. He stressed that participation in regional and local competitions contributes to preparing teams, evaluating the technical staff, and the team's ability to deal with changes.
Dr Raed al Farsi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al Noor Association for the Blind and Chairman of championship committee, expressed his pleasure on hosting of this major event. He stressed the importance of cooperation among Gulf countries and supporting the blind segment in societies.
He also pointed out that the organisation of the championship came at the request of talented athletes after the Al Noor Association team won first place in the Torch Championship held in Jordan last year.
For his part, Dr Mansour bin Sultan al Touqi, President of the Oman Paralympic Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee of the Championship, in his welcome speech expressed his happiness at the Sultanate's hosting the championship.
He also pointed to the importance of the championship in achieving 'Oman Vision 2040' and promoting sustainable development. Al Touqi stressed the application of international technical standards in organising the championship, praising the efforts of the technical committee to organise a distinguished sporting event.
Al Noor Team dominates Al Basira in opening match:
The blind goalball match between the Al Noor and Al Basira teams began with high excitement. Jasem Khalaf of Al Basira Kuwait made the first shot, saved by Emad Al Haji of Al Noor. Al Haji nearly scored but missed. The excitement continued, and Al Noor's Saqer Al Qasmi scored a penalty in the third minute.
The action heated up with Qasmi scoring again in the sixth minute, making it 2-0 for Al Noor. Al Haji saved a Kuwaiti penalty and then scored twice, bringing the score to 4-0. The Kuwaiti team managed to score 5 points, but Al Noor ended the first half leading 9-5.
In the second half, an own goal by Hassan Bohan extended Al Noor's lead to 10-5. A substitution brought in Ahmed Al Tobi for Emad Al Haji. Bohan scored for Kuwait, but Qasmi and Younis Khatibi added goals for Al Noor. The match ended 18-8 in favour of Al Noor.
Six teams from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are competing in a round-robin format. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, with winners competing for the championship.
The championship is being hosted by Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Al Noor Association for the Blind, in cooperation with the Oman Paralympic Committee, from July 20 to 24 at the main hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bousher. In other opening matches, Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli defeated the UAE's Association 16-6, while Qatar defeated Bahrain's Al Sadaqa 11-5.
HH Sayyid Adham bin Turki bin Mahmoud al Said, in his opening speech, praised the role of the Al Noor Association for the Blind and the Oman Paralympic Committee in organising the championship.
He said, 'It is clear that such gatherings represent social and humanitarian empowerment for different segments of society, not just the blind. They strengthen Gulf ties and enable individuals to reach the global level'.
'The tourism and economic sectors can benefit from the increasing size of these sports gatherings, pointing to the importance of the participation of non-disabled individuals in these events in a friendly and participatory manner', he added.
HH Sayyid Adham also highlighted the importance of hosting this championship in preparation for the West Asia Championship, which will be hosted by Oman. He stressed that participation in regional and local competitions contributes to preparing teams, evaluating the technical staff, and the team's ability to deal with changes.
Dr Raed al Farsi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al Noor Association for the Blind and Chairman of championship committee, expressed his pleasure on hosting of this major event. He stressed the importance of cooperation among Gulf countries and supporting the blind segment in societies.
He also pointed out that the organisation of the championship came at the request of talented athletes after the Al Noor Association team won first place in the Torch Championship held in Jordan last year.
For his part, Dr Mansour bin Sultan al Touqi, President of the Oman Paralympic Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee of the Championship, in his welcome speech expressed his happiness at the Sultanate's hosting the championship.
He also pointed to the importance of the championship in achieving 'Oman Vision 2040' and promoting sustainable development. Al Touqi stressed the application of international technical standards in organising the championship, praising the efforts of the technical committee to organise a distinguished sporting event.
Al Noor Team dominates Al Basira in opening match:
The blind goalball match between the Al Noor and Al Basira teams began with high excitement. Jasem Khalaf of Al Basira Kuwait made the first shot, saved by Emad Al Haji of Al Noor. Al Haji nearly scored but missed. The excitement continued, and Al Noor's Saqer Al Qasmi scored a penalty in the third minute.
The action heated up with Qasmi scoring again in the sixth minute, making it 2-0 for Al Noor. Al Haji saved a Kuwaiti penalty and then scored twice, bringing the score to 4-0. The Kuwaiti team managed to score 5 points, but Al Noor ended the first half leading 9-5.
In the second half, an own goal by Hassan Bohan extended Al Noor's lead to 10-5. A substitution brought in Ahmed Al Tobi for Emad Al Haji. Bohan scored for Kuwait, but Qasmi and Younis Khatibi added goals for Al Noor. The match ended 18-8 in favour of Al Noor.
Six teams from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are competing in a round-robin format. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, with winners competing for the championship.