MUSCAT, Sept 12
The Royal Guard of Oman (RGO) team has claimed the title of the 2024 Oman Open Hockey5s Championship, with the Royal Army of Oman (RAO) team securing second place, and the Security and Safety team finishing in third. In the individual awards, Rashad al Fazari from the Al Fayha Foundation team was the tournament's top scorer, having netted 12 goals.
The Best Player award went to Khalid al Shuaibi from the RGO, while his teammate Ahmed al Naabi, received the Best Goalkeeper award. The closing ceremony of the championship was attended by Group Captain Hamed bin Salem al Balushi, Secretary-General of the Shooting Association.
The final rounds featured four matches. In the first game, the Royal Navy of Oman team triumphed over the FAB team with a 5-0 victory. The second match saw a close win for the Jindal Shadeed team, who narrowly defeated the Badr Al Sama team 4-3 in a thrilling encounter that remained competitive until the final moments. The third game ended in a 2-2 draw between the RAO team and the Security and Safety team, while the RGO secured a well-deserved 4-1 win over the Al Fayha Foundation. Based on these results, the Security and Safety team faced the Al Fayha Foundation team in the third-place playoff, where the Security and Safety team emerged victorious with a 4-3 win, securing third place.
The final match saw a fierce contest between the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO) and Royal Army of Oman (RAO). Khalid al Shuaibi opened the scoring for the RGO after just four minutes, later adding a second goal and completing a hat-trick, leaving the Royal Guard leading 3-0 by half-time. In the second half, the Royal Army team tried to make a comeback, but the Royal Guard capitalised on their opportunities, adding two more goals through Khalid al Hassani and Khalid Abdulqader. Before the match ended, Elias al Noufli scored a consolation goal for the RAO, leaving the final score at 5-1 in favour of the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO).
After the closing ceremony, Group Captain Hamad al Balushi expressed his satisfaction with what had transpired at the Hockey Oman Stadium in Wilayat of Al Amerat, highlighting the impressive gathering and large crowd. He remarked that the fans supported their teams from the start, which greatly contributed to the tournament's success.
He noted Oman Hockey is progressing from one success to another, as many Asian and international tournaments have been organised that witnessed a remarkable presence of hockey. "We wish them all the best in the upcoming competitions, and that success in organising such tournaments will continue.”
Opportunity for National Team Players
Siegfried Aikman, Oman national hockey team coach, commented on the tournament, stating, "the overall level of play was good, and the competing teams took the tournament seriously, especially the military teams, which trained for a full month in preparation."
He added, "We brought under-21 national team players to compete against the military teams. The national team players must participate in local tournaments of this calibre, as they need more matches to improve. This is how we can raise the level of our national teams. In five-a-side hockey, the national team holds a high international ranking, but in regular hockey, we haven't yet reached the desired level due to a lack of experience. The more competitive matches we play, the stronger our national team will become."
Regarding media coverage, Aikman expressed his appreciation for the attention the sport receives, stating, "the media is the key to reaching the public. Without media coverage, no one knows about hockey, and sponsors lose interest. Even after hosting the Hockey5s World Cup many people in Oman were still unaware of it. Therefore, we need more media attention to elevate the sport locally. The Oman Hockey Association is keen to provide extensive coverage of tournaments and competitions through its media team and continuously engages with the public to promote the game and attract more players to hockey."
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