Muscat: The first day of the 7th Oman Para Athletics meeting saw high technical standards and fierce competition on the fields of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
The event brought together 150 male and female athletes from various clubs and teams, including Khor Fakkan Club from the UAE, Al Madina Club from Saudi Arabia, the Bahrain Team, and teams from the Czech Republic and Greece, as well as four teams from Oman. The forum was organised by the Omani Paralympic Committee under the supervision of the International Athletics Federation for Athletes with Disabilities and is being held on November 8-9.
The results from the first day saw several athletes excel across various competitions. In the men’s discus throw 41F, Bahraini player Sayed Hussein won the gold medal with a distance of 32.77 metres, while national team player Mazen Abdullah secured silver with a throw of 17.83 metres, and Al Madina Saudi Club’s Riyad al Wafi won bronze with a distance of 16.60 metres.
In the women’s shot put, category 13F, Bahraini player Seham al Moula claimed gold with a distance of 5.74 metres. SQU athlete Sajaa al Rawahi, category 12F, earned silver with a throw of 5.18 metres, while her team-mate, Hawra al Hamdi, category 11F, took bronze with a throw of 3.55 metres.
In the men’s discus throw, category 37F, Saudi Arabia’s Al Madina Club athlete Hamza al Hawas won gold with a throw of 25.92 metres, while UAE’s Khor Fakkan player took silver with a distance of 24.30 metres, and Khor Fakkan’s Majed al Bairaq claimed bronze with a throw of 22.98 metres.
In the women’s shot put, category 40F, Maryam al Zayoudi from Khor Fakkan claimed gold with a throw of 7.40 metres, followed by Oman’s national player Sara al Anbouri with a silver-winning throw of 4.65 metres, and Bahrain’s Fatima Ahmed, category 37F, who earned bronze with a throw of 3.40 metres.
In the women’s discus throw, Maryam al Zayoudi from Khor Fakkan took gold with a throw of 19.76 metres, Bahrain’s Shamma al Moula won silver with a distance of 14.26 metres, and Bahrain’s Fatima Ahmed took bronze with a distance of 9.40 metres.
In the men’s javelin throw, Czech player Dusan Skompara won gold with a distance of 20.56 metres, Bahrain’s Youssef al Jabbas earned silver with a throw of 21.86 metres, and Oman’s Amjad al Wahaibi from Al Tadamun team took third place with a throw of 18.32 metres.
Athletes are competing in the forum in various track events for different disability categories, covering distances of 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres and 1,500 metres, as well as in long jump events and javelin, discus and shot put throws.
Following the conclusion of the first day, Dr Mansour al Touqi, chairman of the organising committee, praised the high technical level of the competitions. He noted that Oman’s consistent organisation of the forum’s seventh edition has strengthened its credibility with the international federation, spectators and participating athletes.
He emphasised that the organisation was well-matched to the event’s scale, leading the international federation to adopt the forum as a trial for hosting the 2026 West Asian Games. He also mentioned that over 70 volunteers participated, with technical staff, including referees and coaches, receiving specialised training.
Meanwhile, Tarek al Suwiei, the technical delegate of the International Paralympic Committee and CEO of the Asian Paralympic Committee, highlighted the forum’s importance on the international stage, describing it as a significant sports event following the Paris Olympics, especially as athletes prepare for the new season.
He added that Muscat has successfully strengthened its position on the global sports agenda through this event, which attracted athletes from Europe and the Gulf region, adding significant value to the forum. Al Suwiei expressed his hope that Oman would host even higher-level championships with larger attendance in the future.
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