Muscat: Oman announced its participation in the fourth edition of the West Asian Para Games, taking place in Sharjah, UAE, from January 27 to February 3. The West Asian Para Games will witness intense competition among 12 nations, with 513 participants, including 382 athletes, 131 coaches, and administrators. The sports line-up includes powerlifting, table tennis, badminton, goalball, wheelchair basketball, boccia and powerlifting.
Comprising 60 athletes, administrators, technical staff and media personnel, the Omani delegation is set to compete across five national teams: powerlifting, goalball, wheelchair basketball, boccia, and athletics. Dr Mansoor bin Sultan al Touqi, President of the Oman Paralympic Committee, will lead the delegation. In Sharjah, the Oman Paralympic Committee aims to achieve positive results and qualifying figures for the Paralympic Games in Paris. The national para athletes underwent intensive training at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher and at the facilities of the Hope Club. The training was led by professional coaches from Tunisia and national coaches and assistants for the five teams representing Oman.
The teams enter the competition with high morale, especially in individual sports, led by athletics, where the best-ranked Omani champions, including Mohammed al Mashaiki and Mohammed al Qasmi, participate alongside other athletes in various competitions. The athletics team in the West Asian Para Games 2024 is represented by Rahma al Hajri as the administrator, Saniya Hussain as the coach, and Abdullah al Anbri as the coach, with assistants Awf al Maamari and Asaad al Qarni. The athletics team includes Mohammed al Mashaiki, Mutasim al Saadi, Rawan al Hasni, Fawzi al Habishi, Mahna Awlad Thani, Mohammed al Qasmi, Talib al Balushi, Taha al Harrasi, Qusai al Rawahi, Saif al Muqbali, Hatem al Zadjali, Saara al Anbouri and Rayya al Obri.
In powerlifting, Fadel al Hadi and Hani Ramadan will represent Oman. The boccia team includes Adnan al Owaidi as the administrator, Widad al Dhaifi as the coach, and players Mohammed al Wahaibi, Sultan al Wahaibi, Sameer al Sulaimi, Mohammed al Zaabi, Mohammed al Muharrami, Mutasim al Muharrami, Reya al Harthy and Arwa al Harthy.
The goalball team is led by Akram al Maawali as the administrator, Asaad al Dhahli as the coach, and Asaad al Salmi as the assistant coach. The team includes Khamis al Salti, Emad al Hajji, Rashid al Siyabi, Abdullah al Raisi, Ahmed al Noubi and Saqr al Qasmi.
The wheelchair basketball team is led by Mohammed al Hinai as the committee's secretary, Musa al Siyabi as the coach and Hamoud al Umairi as the assistant. The team consists of 12 players, Zaher al Atbi, Younis al Toubi, Hafiz Awlad Ahmed, Nabil al Kindi, Ali al Ghassani, Ahmed al Numani, Maktoum al Muqbali, Khamis al Masoudi, Rashid al Muqbali, Amjad al Wahaibi, Ali al Ghafri and Badr al Tamimi.
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