Oman Sail celebrates two gold medals in GCC Beach Games
Muscat: Oman Sail is celebrating two gold medals at the 3rd Edition of the GCC Beach Games held at Al Mouj Muscat from 5-11 April 2025.
This achievement by Oman Sail athletes in the Oman National Sailing team was accompanied by two silver medals, two bronze medals and team silver in the Optimist team racing.
Abdullatif Al Qasmi notched two wins on his way to victory in the ILCA 4 competition, topping the table by three points. He also finished top of the Boys Fleet, where teammate Tamim Al Balushi finished third – claiming fourth overall.
Mohamed Al Marzooqi of UAE finished second and Marwa Al Hammadi third, finishing as the highest placed female sailor to win the Girls Fleet. Both Abdullatif Al Qasmi and Tamim Al Balushi were selected earlier this year to be part of the newly-formed ASYAD Sailing Team and compete in national, regional and international regattas.
Al Moatasem Al Farsi started and finished strongly with two wins in the ILCA 6 competition, finishing third overall. Teammates Al Salem Al Hamdani and Ibtisam Al Salmi finished 8th and 11th respectively. Othman Al Hammadi of UAE won three of the six races to take gold, while Dawood Sadeq from Bahrain finished second.
Hussain Al Jabri cruised to victory in the ILCA 7 race, winning four of the six races to win by five points. Adil Al Bastaki from UAE won the first race and secured second place, and Ahmed Al Sadiq from Bahrain won the last race to finish third. Hussain Al Jabri's four successive wins in between allowed him to claim the medal with one race to go.
Teammate Ali Al Saadi finished fifth, level on points with fourth place. Oman performed well in the largest fleet of the Games, the Optimist competition, with Khamis Al Mashaikhi claiming silver after three second places, Tarteel Al Hasani finishing third, and Hood Al Nofli finishing fourth.
Mohammed Al Qasmi finished 8th – second in the Junior Division - while Tarteel Al Hasani was the highest performing sailor in the Girls Fleet and Hadeel Al Mushaifri, 12th overall, finished fourth. These results earned Oman second place in the Optimist Team Racing. UAE took gold while Kuwait won bronze.
The team was led by Hashim Al Rashdi, Oman Sail's Head Coach of Performance, alongside Sultan Al Zadjali, Optimist Coach, and Ahmed Al Saadi, ILCA Coach. Hashim Al Rashdi, Oman Sail's Head Coach of Performance, said, 'The GCC Beach Games was a very successful regatta for our sailors. The medals, performances and improvement across the entire team was very pleasing and proof that our methods are working. The competition is always at a high level and gives our sailors valuable experience against their peers from across the region. We were especially happy with the team spirit and attitude displayed by the team who supported and inspired each other to put in medal winning performances.'
The 3rd GCC Beach Games was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and the Oman Olympic Committee. The six-day event brought together 335 athletes across 46 events.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
4 days ago
- Observer
Oman Sail, bp Oman launch SailFree programme
MUSCAT: Oman Sail in partnership with bp Oman have launched the second edition of SailFree, the region's first para sailing programme designed to empower people with disabilities through the sport of sailing. The programme will be delivered in three phases to support 100 young people with disabilities at Oman Sail's Mussanah Sailing School and Al Mouj Sailing School, with 20 advancing to form the 15-18 national youth sailing team. Khamis al Anbouri, Oman Sail's Acting Commercial Director, said, 'We are very pleased to renew SailFree for a second edition and provide more opportunities for young people with disabilities. The programme has proven that sailing can have a long-term positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities and unlock valuable life skills through learning, teamwork and participation. We are looking forward to introducing 100 young people to the sport and showing that sailing is a sport for all.' Ibrahim al Hinai, Social investment manager at bp Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, commented: 'The achievements of the SailFree programme is remarkable, whereby the first edition of this programme, launched in 2019, benefitted 110 people with disabilities and formed the first parasailing national team consisting of 25 exceptional members that competed in approximately 10 international and local competitions representing Oman. We are incredibly proud to continue investing in the community by supporting such a valuable initiative.' SailFree has provided the framework for people with no prior sailing experience to learn, develop and compete internationally and the SailFree team is currently in training ahead of regattas at home and abroad. Beginning with the UK Hansa Class Championship from June 13-15 in Weymouth, UK, then returning to Oman for the Oman Sailing Championship from August 17-21 and Mussanah Race Week from October 16-22.
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- Times of Oman
Oman Sail and bp Oman launch second edition of SailFree programme
Muscat: Oman Sail in partnership with bp Oman have launched the second edition of SailFree, the region's first para sailing programme designed to empower people with disabilities through the sport of sailing. The programme will be delivered in three phases to support 100 young people with disabilities at Oman Sail's Mussanah Sailing School and Al Mouj Sailing School, with 20 advancing to form the 15-18 national youth sailing team. Khamis Al Anbouri, Oman Sail's Acting Commercial Director, said, 'We are very pleased to renew SailFree for a second edition and provide more opportunities for young people with disabilities. The programme has proven that sailing can have a long-term positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities and unlock valuable life skills through learning, teamwork and participation. We are looking forward to introducing 100 young people to the sport and showing that sailing is a sport for all.' Ibrahim Al Hinai, Social investment manager at bp Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar, commented: 'The achievements of the SailFree programme is remarkable, whereby the first edition of this programme, launched in 2019, benefitted 110 people with disabilities and formed the first parasailing national team consisting of 25 exceptional members that competed in approximately 10 international and local competitions representing Oman. We are incredibly proud to continue investing in the community by supporting such a valuable initiative.' SailFree has provided the framework for people with no prior sailing experience to learn, develop and compete internationally and the SailFree team is currently in training ahead of regattas at home and abroad. Beginning with the UK Hansa Class Championship from 13-15 June in Weymouth, UK, then returning to Oman for the Oman Sailing Championship from 17-21 August and Mussanah Race Week from 16-22 October.
Muscat Daily
5 days ago
- Muscat Daily
Oman Sail's high-performance team head to Greece for 49er European Championship
Muscat – Oman Sail's high-performance 49er team will join 56 crews from 25 nations in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the 2025 49er European Championships, organised by the Hellenic Sailing Federation and International 49er and Nacra Class Association. The event, which also features 49erFX and Nacra 17 competition, begins on 3 June and runs through until 8 June, with a practice race on 2 June. Representing Oman will be Musab al Hadi and Waleed al Kindi, with three races scheduled for each day of qualifying, culminating in a final series and medal race on the last day of competition. Hashim al Rashdi, Oman Sail's head performance coach, said, 'This is a prestigious event where we will line up against some of the most accomplished 49er sailors in the world. The qualification campaign for the Asian Games 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will begin soon and events like this in the build up are valuable experience to make sure our preparations are on track and our sailors realise the levels they need to reach. We are looking forward to testing ourselves against such a diverse fleet in Greece and progressing throughout the year.' Musab al Hadi added, 'We are incredibly focused and determined to achieve our ultimate goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games and representing the nation in the sailing competition. Together with Waleed al Kindi, we have been working on our tactical and technical approach to racing, and we are both looking ahead to improving on the water this season. The 49er European Championship is the first step on what we hope will be a successful journey.' The team will be coached during the Championship by experienced Polish coach Jacek Nowak. A former Polish national 49er team sailor himself, Nowak has also gained experience on board the Poland team in the Star Sailors League 2023 and on board the victorious Cape31 Team 'Aspire'. He has been coach of the Finnish national 49er team and guided a variety of crews through European and World Championship campaigns. Nowak said: 'The tactical and technical aspect of the championship is vital to the long-term success of Oman's 49er team. The crew need to be able to anticipate and adapt to changing conditions and situations to score points and secure a place in the final series. We have been working on tactics and how to overcome challenges on the water, stay focused and make the correct choice under pressure. This ability will be important in Greece but also extends beyond a single event to build a winning mentality.' After the conclusion of the 49er European Championship in Greece, the team will then return to Oman before departing for Germany to take part in Kieler Woche from 21-25 June. The team will also be competing at the 49er World Championship in Italy from 7-13 October and the Asian Sailing Championship in November.
