Sayyid Azzan elected as new chairman of OOC
The general assembly members of Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) elected HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said as the new Chairman of OOC for the upcoming term (2024-2028). Dr Abdullah bin Khamis Ambusaidi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education for Education and Chairman of Oman School Sports Association (OSSA), was elected as Vice-Chairman.
The General Assembly regular meeting of OOC took place on Tuesday in presence of 17 representatives of sporting associations and committees and sports figures. The newly elected chairman of OOC replaced Shaikh Khalid al Zubair, who ended his journey after two terms. Taha Sulaiman al Kishry and Abdullah Mohammed Bamkhalaf were elected as members of OOC board members due to their international sporting positions.
Representative of OSSA, Yousef Awad Bait Saleem, was elected as board member in non-Olympic sports association seat while Khalifa bin Hamed al Jabri will represent athletes after being elected by the Oman Athletes Committee and Sayyidah Sana bint Hamed al Busaidiyah was selected as Chairperson of Oman Women's Sports and Gender Equality Committee.
The General Assembly members elected the former chairman of Oman Volleyball Association Bader bin Ali al Rawas and Oman Club vice-chairman Jihad bin Abdullah al Shaikh to fill the two seats allocated to the category of sports personalities while Fahad al Raisi was not elected as he received less votes among the three candidates.
Six more board members were elected out of nine nominated members. Dr Marwan bin Juma al Jumaa, Chairman of Oman Hockey Association (15 votes), Eng Khalfan bin Saleh al Naabi, Chairman of Oman Basketball Association (13 votes), Moosa bin Khamis al Balushi, Chairman of Oman Handball Association (13), Qais bin Saud al Zakwani, representative of Oman Aquatics Association (12 votes), Eng Ibrahim bin Abdullah al Maqbali, Chairman of Oman Volleyball Association (12 votes) and Said bin Mohammed al Hajri, Chairman of Oman Athletics Association (11 votes). The other three representatives including representative of Oman Football Association, Qutaiba bin al Ghilani, Faiz Mohammad Riaz, Vice-Chairman of Oman Golf Association and Saif al Rushedi, Chairman of Oman Cycling Association, were not elected due to their less votes.
The meeting's agenda featured accepting the minutes from the Extraordinary General Assembly which took place on February 16, 2025, besides reviewing the previous year's annual report and highlighting key administrative and technical achievements. Then, the members had an overview of the proposed activity plan for 2025 and there were discussions of the final accounts for the past year, the auditor's report, and the estimated budget for the current year.
COOPERATION AND SUPPORT
In his remarks after being elected as the OOC chairman, HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said said that it is a great honour to receive the esteemed trust to serve as chairman of OOC for the 2024–2028 term. 'I would like to express my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for this confidence. I look forward to your cooperation and support in elevating the Committee's performance to meet your aspirations — and those of the athletes of our beloved homeland, the Sultanate of Oman,' he said.
'What has been achieved over the past years in terms of organisational and technical progress, as well as the establishment of firm foundations, serves as an inspiration for us all to continue building and advancing the Committee's work towards greater integration and effectiveness — ultimately serving Omani sports and enhancing its presence regionally and internationally,' he said.
'Names may change and faces may differ but the goal remains the same, and the destination unchanged. Our ambitions are renewed, carried by new energy, continuing the journey of those before us, holding the same torch and striving for greater horizons and deeper service to Omani sports,' he added.
'I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Shaikh Khalid bin Mohammed al Zubair and the previous board members for their sincere efforts and the institutional, organisational, and technical legacy they have left behind — a legacy that will continue to motivate us to move forward on the same path and develop what they began with a spirit of appreciation and teamwork,' he said.
'We will work in close coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth under the leadership of HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, guided by his ongoing support for this sector and his generous directives, which we consider a compass for our success. As we begin this new chapter together, we draw inspiration from the vision of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik — may Allah protect him — in making sports a cornerstone of Oman's renewed renaissance, and a fundamental pillar of empowerment, progress, and sustainable development,' he concluded.
FIRST BOARD MEETING
Following the election, the board directors of OOC held their first meeting on Tuesday headed by HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said in presence of all members. During the meeting, Abdullah bin Mohammed Bamakhalef was appointed as Secretary-General of the Committee while Qais bin Saud al Zakwani was appointed as Treasurer.
The formation of the Executive committee of OOC was also approved and it is chaired by HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said, and accompanied by the following members: Abdullah bin Mohammed Bamakhalef, Qais bin Saud al Zakwani and Dr Marwan bin Juma al Juma.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
19 hours ago
- Observer
OFA to organise friendly tournament in Salalah on July 27
MUSCAT: The Oman Football Association (OFA) is gearing up to organise a four-team football tournament in Salalah, bringing together elite domestic and national teams in preparation for critical upcoming continental competitions. The tournament will feature: Oman Olympic U-23 team, Seeb Club reigning Omantel League champions, Al Shabab Club – His Majesty's Cup 2024–25 title holders and Al Nahdha Club – runners-up of the 2024–25 Omantel League. The event is scheduled to start on July 27. The purpose of this friendly competition is not only to offer high level match experience in a competitive environment but also to strategically blend national team players with their respective clubs, offering coaching staff valuable opportunities for assessment and preparation ahead of the significant events. This setup is particularly beneficial ahead of major international fixtures with players gaining exposure through tightly contested matches. Coach Badar al Maimani This initiative is part of OFA's wider efforts to support Omani clubs that will represent the Sultanate of Oman in upcoming regional and continental tournaments. Seeb Club will participate in the AFC Champions League 2 beginning in mid-August while Al Shabab Club is set to compete in the AFC Challenge Cup. Al Nahdha Club will take part in the Gulf Champions League. By facilitating this preparatory tournament, OFA will ensure the Olympic team and the domestic clubs will have strong opposition and maintain high performance levels leading up to their respective competitions. The Oman Olympic U-23 national team, led by coach Badar al Maimani, will also use the tournament to sharpen their skills ahead of their campaign in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers which is scheduled to take place during September 1 to 9. Oman is grouped with Iraq, Pakistan, and hosts Cambodia in Group F. Oman Olympic U-23 team The Olympic team recently began a short domestic camp with 24 players and is set to participate in an international friendly tournament in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from July 17 to 23, alongside teams from Syria, Bahrain, and Kyrgyzstan. These steps are aimed at fine-tuning the squad ahead of the pivotal qualifiers. Coach Badar and his technical team will emphasise on building tactical cohesion and developing match fitness to secure a top spot in the qualifiers. The top team in each group and the four best runners-up will qualify for the final tournament alongside host nation Saudi Arabia.
Observer
19 hours ago
- Observer
Bencic and Swiatek reach first Wimbledon semifinal
LONDON: Switzerland's Belinda Bencic said her dream had come true after she reached a first Wimbledon semifinal with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) win against Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday. The former Olympic champion is enjoying her best run at the All England Club just over a year after giving birth. The 28-year-old had her daughter Bella in April 2024, but has already risen to 35 in the world since returning from maternity leave. Wimbledon appears to be child's play for Bencic this year and she dispatched Andreeva in just over two hours of enthralling quarterfinal action on Centre Court. Bencic, a former world number four, will face five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek for a place in Saturday's final. Bencic's only other Grand Slam last-four appearance ended in defeat at the US Open in 2019, two years before she won singles gold at the Tokyo Olympics. She is the first Swiss woman semifinalist at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis 27 years ago, having failed to make it past the last 16 in her previous eight visits to southwest London. The rising star of the WTA Tour, 18-year-old Andreeva was the youngest women's Wimbledon quarterfinalist since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007. Under the wing of former Wimbledon winner Conchita Martinez, the Russian had breezed through the first four rounds without dropping a set. Andreeva said she was so focused on each point during her fourth-round tie against Emma Navarro that she did not realise when she won on match point. But Bencic proved equally locked in and the Swiss veteran defied a painful cracked toe-nail in the second set to seal her memorable triumph. "They always crack. It is the life of a tennis player. I didn't want to take a medical time-out so you don't have to see this," she said. SWIATEK ADVANCES Iga Swiatek reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in her illustrious career on Wednesday, beating Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5. The Polish eighth seed will face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva or former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic for a place in Saturday's final. Swiatek has won four titles on the clay at the French Open, as well as the US Open in 2022, but has struggled on the lawns of the All England Club. Her previous best result at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023. Swiatek broke her opponent twice in the opening set to take a firm grip on the match, benefiting from a flurry of unforced errors from her opponent and winning 100 percent of her points on first serve. Two double faults from Russian 19th seed Samsonova handed Swiatek an early break in the second set and she snuffed out a clutch of break-points in the following game to go 3-0 up. The 24-year-old was pegged back by two breaks of serve as her level dipped and Samsonova pulled level at 4-4. But Swiatek regrouped and broke again to seal the win. — AFP
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Merlier wins stage three of Tour de France
DUNKIRK: Belgian Tim Merlier pipped Italian Jonathan Milan right at the line to win stage three of the Tour de France at Dunkirk on Monday, as Mathieu van der Poel retained the race lead. The stage was marred by a series of falls, but the two favourites for the title Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the main pack and remain in second and third place overall behind Van der Poel. The flat 179 km run from Valenciennes along the Belgian border was marked above all by a nasty fall that caused Jasper Philipsen to quit with severe grazing and a suspected fracture. The fall happened during an intermediate sprint 60 km away from Dunkirk and ripped the green best sprinter's jersey from Philipsen's back as he slid along the road in the 70kph crash. Much of what Philipsen's team Alpecin had planned for the Tour revolved around the sprinter, team-mate Van der Poel revealed. "It's always one of our goals to win stages so this is a bad day," the 30-year-old said. Van der Poel suggested the wind had emboldened the sprinters. "In a head wind it's easier to come from behind in the sprints, it made things more chaotic," he said. There were three more falls, including two nasty looking ones in the finale with Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, Merlier's teammate, involved. A MESS Merlier, 32, grew up just over the border from Dunkirk and had been hoping to win the opening stage on Sunday. "That was a mess," Merlier said of the falls. "I lost a great deal of energy getting in position but it was a good bike throw. I knew I'd beat Milan." Lidl-Trek's Milan led over most of the final 150m, but even without sealing the stage win his efforts were still rewarded as he inherited the green sprint points jersey from the stricken Philipsen. Van der Poel in the leader's yellow jersey is the grandson of French cycling legend Raymond Poulidor, who came second in the Tour de France seven times, but never won and never got to don the yellow tunic. Another Belgian, the national champion Tim Wellens, gave cross-border fans even more to celebrate as he won the day's only climb, the 2.3 km ascent of Mont Cassel at 31 km from the finish line. The 34-year-old will now hold the king of the mountains polka dot jersey overnight. Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin is in the best under-25's rider's white jersey after staying in the finishing mix in all three stages. Regional police said one million spectators had lined the roadsides on the opening day, and while rain dissuaded that kind of turnout for stage two, huge crowds turned out again for the run to Dunkirk. The eleven bikes stolen from outside the Cofidis team hotel early on Sunday were all found before the stage's end — five of them were recovered abandoned in a forest early on Monday with the others being tracked down by the police later in the day. Tuesday's fourth stage is a 174 km run from Amiens, as the Tour leaves the North region, to Rouen in Normandy, with five hills in the final 25 km designed to spark a series of race-splitting attacks. The first section of the Tour is raced through the north and west of France. The volcanic landscape of the Puy de Dome presents the first mountains as late as stage 10, with two more colossal climb days in the Pyrenees before the blockbuster final week in the Alps. — AFP
