Oman face Kuwait in West Asia tourney opener
Oman national men's volleyball team will begin its journey in the West Asia Championship this evening, where they will face Kuwait at Isa Bin Rashid Hall in the Bahraini capital, Manama. This match is part of Group B of the championship, which is taking place from July 17 to 27, with eight teams participating: Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon.
Under the leadership of Iranian coach Reza Hossein Kaki, our national team enters the opening match with high aspirations, aiming for a strong start to provide them with a motivational boost before their next matches against Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The team has completed its preparations with a successful training camp in Egypt, along with four friendly matches against the Saudi team, winning three and losing one, which helped enhance their technical and physical readiness. In a statement, Iranian coach Reza Hossein Kaki expressed his confidence in the players' ability to deliver an honorable performance in the tournament, confirming that the team is ready both technically and mentally for the opening match against Kuwait. He said, "We went through an intensive preparation phase that included an internal camp and then an external camp in Egypt, where we played friendly matches with Egypt and the UAE, achieving positive results. We also played four matches with Saudi Arabia in Muscat, winning three of them. This programme was not just about physical and technical preparation; it was also an important phase to build cohesion and increase understanding between the team's lines."
Kaki added "we respect the Kuwaiti team, which is strong and has excellent players, but we are well-prepared for this match. We will analyse their strengths and weaknesses after the start of the game, and we will have a strategic plan to deal with different match scenarios."
Kaki explained that the mental aspect and psychological pressure have received great attention from the technical staff in recent days, saying, "Short tournaments require a great balance of focus, and every point will be crucial in a group that includes strong teams like Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The players are mentally ready, and we understand the importance of every point in this group.
On his part, Sabah al Buraydi, the team manager, confirmed that the team is in top physical and mental condition, pointing out that the players are fully committed to the instructions of the coaching staff. He added, "The players are fully ready and showing clear commitment to the plan and instructions. Everyone is excited to represent Oman in a way that does it justice."
Regarding the selection of the team, Al Buraydi said that the players were chosen based on a close follow-up of the local league matches, and the list was reduced to 14 players after several withdrawals due to injuries. There is good harmony between the technical, administrative staff, and the players, which is one of our strongest points.
TEAM READINESS AND HIGH SPIRITS
Younis al Amri, a player on the team, confirmed that the team's morale is high ahead of the opening match, explaining that the team underwent an ideal preparation period and is now more ready than ever. Al Amri said, we had a strong camp in Egypt and played matches against the Saudi team, which helped us improve our performance and increase cohesion among us.
He added, the match against Kuwait is psychologically important, and we understand its significance. A win will give us a motivational boost for the rest of the journey, and we are ready to achieve that.
The list of players selected for the championship includes 14 players chosen after a series of camps and friendly matches: Saud al Maamri, Ahmad al Toubi, Yousef al Shukaili, Hamad al Maamri, Mohamed al Muqbali, Adam al Jalboubi, Abdullah al Muqbali, Abdullah al Shibli, Ismail al Hadi, Khamis al Jabri, Younis al Amri, Mahmoud al Saadi, Adam al Jaradi, and Abdulbasit al Balushi.
The team is technically overseen by Iranian coach Reza Hossein Kaki, assisted by Hamid bin Mahj al Muqbali as the assistant coach. Buba Serous Aziezi is in charge of physical preparation, and Mohammed Ma'in serves as the performance analyst, assisted by Abdullah al Dhahouri.
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