Muscat: The Oman Hockey Association (OHA) held a press conference on Monday at the Oman Olympic Committee building to announce the details of the 2024 Oman Open Hockey5s Championship. The conference was attended by Dr Marwan bin Juma al Juma, OHA Chairman and Faisal al Balushi, Technical Director of the Championship, as well as representatives of the participating teams.
During the conference, the tournament draw was conducted. The championship will be held from September 8 to 11, featuring eight teams representing the military sector, organisations and companies. The teams include the Royal Army of Oman, the Royal Guard of Oman, the Royal Navy of Oman, Al Faiha Foundation, Security and Safety, Jindal Shadeed , Badr Al Sama Group, and 'FAP' Company.
Dr Marwan al Juma, said: "The 2024 Oman Open Hockey5s Championship aims to further boost hockey in Oman. The championship has attracted teams from military and private sectors. This tournament is a continuation of the OHA's efforts to support Hockey5s, following the success of organising the Oman International Women’s Championship last year. Our national team achieved third place in the Hockey5s World Cup and is ranked second globally according to the International Federation's rankings. We expect strong competition and high excitement in this championship, with the participation of players from national teams."
Faisal bin Habib al Balushi, explained the playing system. The participating teams will be divided into two groups, with each group competing in a double round-robin format. In the final rounds, the teams placed fourth in each group will face off to determine the seventh and eighth places, while the teams placed third will compete for the fifth and sixth places. In the semifinals, the first-placed team from Group A will face the second-placed team from Group B, and the first-placed team from Group B will face the second-placed team from Group A. The winners of the semifinal matches will compete for the title, while the losers will play for the third and fourth places. All matches will be held at the Oman Hockey Complex in Al Amerat.
TECHNICAL RULES
The Technical Director emphasised the importance of adhering to the tournament's technical rules, including providing both primary and secondary uniforms for each team during the technical meeting, with the secondary uniform being completely different from the primary one. The technical staff must wear a uniform different from the team's colours, and the team listed first in the schedule must sit to the right of the referee's table. Each team consists of 10 players (8 players and 2 goalkeepers), with 5 players on the field and 5 on the bench, in addition to 4 members of the technical and administrative staff. The match duration will be 20 minutes, divided into two halves, with a 2-minute break between them.
Regarding specific game rules, Al Balushi mentioned the implementation of the 'Challenge' rule, where the attacker is not allowed to shoot directly unless the ball has moved a distance of at least 4 metres, and the goalkeeper must remain on the goal line until the ball is moved. Other special rules include penalty strokes and intentional fouls by players, with an emphasis on adhering to international hockey5s regulations.
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