Muscat: The Oman beach volleyball team crowned champions of the 29th Arab Championship, which concluded on Monday, in Tunisia. The Omani duo, Mazen al Hashmi and Hood al Jaalboubi succeeded in winning the final match against the Libyan team with a score of two sets to one, maintaining Oman’s title for the second consecutive year.
The Omani team topped Group 3 after a series of victories, defeating Bahrain and Tunisia with two sets to none in both matches. In the semi-finals, they faced Qatar and overcame them with a score of two sets to one.
As for the second Omani team, consisting of Haitham al Shuraiqi and Ahmed al Hosani, they achieved important victories in the group stage, beating Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon with two sets to none in each match. Despite advancing as the second team in the group, they were eliminated after losing to Qatar, who finished third after defeating Saudi Arabia with two straight sets. The Libyan team finished as runners-up.
A total of 15 teams from 8 Arab countries participated in the championship, including Tunisia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Lebanon, and Morocco.
Coach Badr al Subhi expressed his great happiness with the level the team displayed during the championship, noting that the competition was extremely fierce due to the participation of several world-class teams, most notably the Qatari team, which is considered one of the best in Asia, ranking first on the continent, and having achieved fourth place in the Paris Olympics and third in the Tokyo Olympics. Al Subhi emphasized that defeating Qatar, a team with extensive experience and major achievements, was a significant challenge for the team, but it was the result of the tremendous efforts put in by the players during the preparation period and throughout the championship.
Al Subhi added that the victory was not just a positive result but also a major motivator for the team to achieve more success in the future. The Omani team aspires to elevate its level both regionally and internationally. He mentioned that the ambitions of the coaching staff and players are not limited to maintaining Arab titles but are also focused on enhancing Oman’s position in Asian and international competitions. He expressed his hope that the team will continue to achieve victories and reach the podium in upcoming tournaments. Al Subhi stressed the importance of leveraging these achievements to motivate the players to continuously improve their performance.
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