Oman set for three major events in October

MUSCAT, OCT 3

The Sultanate of Oman is set to host three major sporting events during the month of September including: West Asian Badminton Championship which will be held at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex during October 7 to 12. The following will be the cricket event represented by Men's U19 Asia Cup T20 tournament which will take place during October 18 to 27 while WTT Contender Muscat 2024 will be the third event which is scheduled during October 27 to November 2 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.

As many as 72 players representing nine nations from West Asia will vie for the top places and the title of the West Asian Junior Badminton Championship. The Oman Racket Sports Committee (ORSC) will host nine teams including Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Lebanon, and hosts the Sultanate of Oman to vie for singles and doubles events for boys and girls besides mixed doubles in Under-15 and Under-17 age categories.

The playing format of the championship will be based on the regulations of the Badminton Asia. The participating teams will be divided into two groups. Teams will compete within their groups while the top two from each group will advance to the knockout stages.

Cricket

Oman Cricket will host Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 in coordination with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Eight teams confirmed their attendance in the event including the Asian cricket powerhouses – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan besides the hosts Oman, UAE and Hong Kong. The tournament will take place from October 18 to 27 at Oman Cricket Academy in Al Amerat. The teams are divided into two groups. Group A comprised from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, while Group B consists of Oman, UAE, Pakistan and India.

The playing format of the tournament will be based on the round-robin format. All the teams in each group will play against each other while the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. The winners of the semis will face off in the final match which is scheduled on October 27.

Table Tennis

On the other hand, the Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) is gearing up to organise another edition of WTT Contender Muscat 2024 during October 27 to November 2. More than 100 paddlers will take part in the event representing different nations. The six days tournament will feature different competition categories including men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles and mixed doubles. The top-class TT event will be organised by the Oman Table Tennis Association in coordination with WTT and World TT governing body ITTF.

World No 7 Lin Shidong of China and South Korean Oh Junsung (WR No 32), besides WR No 40 Yukiya Uda from Japan and his teammate Hiroto (WR No 41) and many other top seeded paddlers will attend in the world-class TT tournament in Muscat. Oman’s squad will include Muhannad al Balushi, Nasser al Balushi, Ghassan al Ghassani and Badar al Jassasi. Oman team is under supervision of the Iranian head coach Omid Shamassharbabki.