Muscat: The Oman national wheelchair basketball team faced a tough challenge against Bahrain to end the meet with score of 55-66 to Bahrain. At the opening match of the West Asian Paralympic Games (WAPG), held at Al Thiqah Club for Disabled in Sharjah, UAE.
The match began with Oman demonstrating resilience, achieving the lead at 9-7 thanks to shots from players Zaheer al Atbi and Hafiz al Ahmad. However, the Bahraini team managed to apply pressure to take the lead, increasing the gap due to Omani team's lack of focus and missed opportunities, while Bahrain continued to score, ending the first quarter with Oman team trailing 11-20.
In the second quarter, Oman team showed some activity and reducing the gap to three points at 19-22. However, Bahrain regained their momentum and doubled the score, leading the first half 23-36.
The third quarter, Omani players continued to miss opportunities, allowing Bahrain to quickly return to the half of the court, scoring and increasing their lead. Oman team only managed to score 10 points while Bahrain added 21, ending the third quarter with Bahrain Lead 33-57.
In the fourth quarter, Oman regained some activity and focus, managing to score and reduce the gap, but it was a late surge that couldn't bring them to parity. Oman scored 20 points in this quarter while Bahrain scored 6, ending the match with Oman national team losing to Bahrain with a score of 53-66.
Looking ahead, the national wheelchair basketball team is poised to bounce back in a compensation match against the UAE, determined to showcase their resilience and competitive spirit in the upcoming games.
Meanwhile, Boccia team started individual competitions on Sunday, with the results showing a loss for player Sultan al Wahibi against the Iraqi player Abbas Mohammed with a score of 2-4. His teammate Sameer al Sulaimi also lost to the Emirati player Salem al Qatbi with a score of 1-10.
The 4th edition of West Asian Paralympic Games launched on Saturday, hosted by the Emirate of Sharjah until February 3, with the presence of Dr Mansour bin Sultan al Touqi, Oman delegation head, and Mohammed bin Abdullah al Hanaei, as delegation's director, along with 513 athletes representing 11 Arab countries from West Asia.
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