MUSCAT: The GCC Beach Games "Muscat 2025" competitions began officially on Saturday after a glittering opening ceremony took place at Al Qurum Natural Park under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Malik bin Shihab al Said in the presence of top dignitaries and officials. All the GCC countries are taking part in the event including: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the hosts Oman. All the athletes will vie for 43 medals in 30 events at eight sports disciplines including: beach soccer, beach handball, beach volleyball, beach athletics, Sailing, marathon swimming, paramotoring and equestrian (tent pegging).
The opening ceremony included artistic and theatrical segments that showcased the Omani and Gulf cultural identity and reflected the spirit and values of the games. A highlight was a musical performance that affirmed the deep history of Gulf citizens with the sea and the spirit of unity and hospitality among the GCC nations. The musical was set in a coastal Omani neighbourhood by the sea. The show portrayed locals welcoming the vessels with traditional performances representing each Gulf country, blending heritage with modern stagecraft. Oman’s Asaad al Hasani, a player from the national beach handball team, took the flag bearer while Munthir al Oraimi from the national beach soccer team delivered the athletes’ oath. Oman's official delegation for the opening ceremony comprised from: Ahmed al Jahdhami, Omar al Balushi and Hamoud al Hanadhli representing the Oman Olympic Committee. Oman national team representatives in all the participating sports attended in the opening ceremony to represent the country during the opening marshal.
Oman beach handball team began their campaign at the 3rd edition of GCC Beach Games "Muscat 2025" strongly as they registered a 2-0 win over UAE in the opening match on Saturday morning. The win delivered the winning points to Oman team prior to their match against Bahrain on Sunday as the match will start at 18:00. In another match, Bahrain commenced their journey at the tournament with a 2-1 victory against Saudi Arabia in penalty shootout on Saturday at the sands court.
With the triumphs, both Oman and Bahrain earned two points each while the UAE and Saudi Arabia remain without points. Oman will eye for winning points against Bahrain on Sunday while UAE meet Saudi Arabia at the same venue. All the teams at beach handball event will be on rest on Tuesday while the competition will resume on Wednesday as Oman will face UAE, followed by a match between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia will go take on UAE and Oman will face Bahrain. The handball competitions will conclude on Friday with two final matches as in the first clash is between UAE and Bahrain and it will be followed by Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The actions of Paramotor event began on Saturday at Al Hail North Beach with three rounds in the opening day. Oman team members delivered an outstanding show in their inaugural participation at the GCC Games. The Paramotor competitions will resume on Tuesday by three more rounds and medals will be distributed to the top winners.
The Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex venue in Bausher will host beach soccer competitions from April 7 to 11 beside beach handball from April 5 to 11. Azaiba Beach will stage beach volleyball matches from Tuesday to Friday and athletics events from Tuesday to Thursday. Al Mouj Muscat will be the venue for marathon swimming events from Wednesday to Friday while sailing competitions will take place at Al Hail North Beach from April Sunday to Thursday. Paramotor events will be held from April Saturday to Tuesday while tent pegging event will take place at Al Rahba Farm from Tuesday to Thursday.
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