Sports Ministry felicitates top players of junior training centres

MUSCAT, March 23 - The Ministry of Sports Affairs felicitated the top players of the Junior Training Centres on Thursday. As many as 85 paddlers from the centres — run by the ministry- were honoured by Shaikh Saad bin Mohammed al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, the chief guest, in presence of chairmen of various sports associations, committees and officials. The glittering function was held at the indoor court of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. The graduates of training centres were 85 representing six different sports including volleyball, handball, swimming, basketball, athletics and hockey. During the ceremony, chairmen of various sports associations received the certificate of trasnferring the top players of training centres to the related association to join in the junior national teams as they passed their training period which lasted for last five years at the centres. Fahd bin Abdullah al Raisi, Director-General of Sports Care and Development at the Ministry of Sports Affairs and head of junior training centres, said that the national teams received the top players after their completion in the training programme. “The five years plan of junior training centres is aimed to develop and prepare the best candidates and athletes that can be an additional to the Sultan Qaboos Academy for the development of sports capabilities. In addition to that, another target was to raise the talented player’s technical performance level and make them in ready shape to be part of the junior national teams,” He added. “We hope that this generation of local paddlers will be beneficial to the associations and to Oman’s sport in general. There is a technical monitoring system for all the newly joined players in the junior national teams that include some technical special programmes and direct supervision from specialised coaching staff to evaluate the player’s level frequently,” Al Raisi added. Al Raisi pointed out that there were different achievements recorded by the players from junior training centres in the last year. “Oman’s talented sprinter Mohammed al Sulimani took part at the world U-17 athletics championship in Kenya. Swimming team registered top results at the Dubai tournament. Volleyball team was positioned third in the GCC Gulf tournament.’’ The main organising committee of the junior training centres delivered a special felicitation to Oman’s talented sprinter Ali bin Anwar al Balushi as he claimed bronze medal at the Asian Junior Athletics Championship recenlty in Hong Kong. Also, he is the holder of the bronze medal in 200 metre sprint at the World Gymnasium Schools Championship which was held in Morocco in May.