6 days ago
Al Alawi stars at 2025 aquatics in Singapore
MUSCAT: Omani international referee Abdulmonem bin Khamis al Alawi marked another significant milestone in his illustrious officiating career by successfully completing his duties at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships which concluded recently in Singapore. A prominent figure in the world of open water swimming, Al Alawi once again managed to demonstrate his elite expertise and professionalism on the global stage.
As a member of the International Technical Committee for Open Water Swimming, Al Alawi officiated in several major events throughout the prestigious championship, which featured the world's top aquatic athletes, including Leon Marchand (France), Cameron McEvoy (Australia), Lani Pallister (Australia), Florian Wellbrock (Germany), Ichika Kajimoto (Japan), Noe Ponti (Switzerland), Hubert Kos (Hungary) and Nicolo Martinenghi (Italy).
Oman's Al Alawi delivered an outstanding performance throughout the tournament and this solidified his reputation as one of the most respected officials in aquatic sports. His responsibilities reflected the confidence placed in him by the organisers and the World Aquatics.
Speaking to Observer from Singapore, Abdulmonem said:' It is always an honour to represent your country in a high profile event like the World Championship. Attending the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore was a great milestone in my umpiring career. I am grateful to World Aquatics for their continued trust and confidence in my capabilities. A special thanks goes to the Oman Aquatics Association OAA as well for their unwavering support throughout the years.'
' I had key roles in officiating and managing various open water swimming events at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. I have been assigned as Referee for the newly introduced 4x1500m Mixed Relay, which featured 23 teams and received widespread praise for its execution. Also, I led the judging panel for the Men's 10km race and served as the delegation head for the Women's 10km event, beside being the timekeeper for both the Men's and Women's 5km races. Furthermore, I supervised safety protocols for the 3km races in both categories,' he ended.
Hailing from Sur, Oman, Al Alawi began his journey in swimming in 1986 and in 1995, became the first Omani referee to obtain an international licence in the sport. Over the decades, he has served as a pioneer for Omani representation in aquatic sports on the international level.
Al Alawi officiated his third consecutive Olympic Games as he was appointed as the chief referee for the Men's and Women's 10km Marathon Swimming events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, following previous appearances in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
