Stage set for Tour of Oman
The eighth edition of Tour of Oman will be launched on February 14 by Muscat Municipality, along with the supporting institutions and sponsors.
Ahead of the launch, Engineer Mohsin bin Mohammed al Sheikh, Head of Muscat Municipality and Chairman of the Organising Committee of Muscat Festival 2017, has wished good luck to all the participants.
Emphasising its importance as a global sporting event, he said: “Tour of Oman has become an important annual event in the calendar of world cycling competition. It is an essential stop for international cyclists who look forward to participating in it annually.”
The event has seen participation from some of the world’s best cycling champions such as Christopher Vroom of Britain, Andre Greipel of Germany, Alberto Contador of Spain, Peter Sagan of Slovakia, Preben Van Hecker of Belgium and Romain Bardet of France.
He said one of the objectives of holding the Tour of Oman is to promote the country as a tourist destination.
The event is covered by journalists and television crew from different countries. The international media will also highlight Oman’s natural beauty, diverse culture, history and heritage.
The media will also showcase Oman’s progress under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.
The previous editions of Tour of Oman have received massive media coverage.
2016 Tour of Oman saw 32 media specialists who showcased the event to an international audience. It was broadcast via 189 channels. A total of 362 press releases were published in newspapers around the world.
2016 Tour of Oman data reveals the number of followers across social networking channels has reached 19,800,000 around the world. It has been widely covered by the social media like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
The Head of Muscat Municipality emphasised the importance of cycling as a sport and urged young people to “take up the sport as a passion for promoting excellent mental and physical health”.
He stressed the need for sponsors to support young Omanis to take up cycling as a sport. “It is important to develop the required skills to compete at the global level,” he said.