OOC sets plan to achieve Olympic medal
WOMAN SPRINTER MAZOON AL ALAWI JOINS SQUAD FOR TOKYO
Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad al Busaidy, Chairman of Oman Olympic Committee (OOC), affirmed that the long-term plans for OOC are set to accomplish the first Omani Olympic medal in 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
This was announced during the OOC chief ’s meeting with the Sultanate’s delegation which will take part in the 32nd Summer Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 and that is scheduled to be held from July 23 until August 8. The meeting at the OOC headquarters in Muscat was attended by Taha bin Sulaiman al Kishry, OOC Secretary-general, and the representatives of the national teams who will participate in 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
FIVE ATHLETES TO COMPETE
The OOC confirmed the participation of sprinter Mazoon al Alawi in 2020 Tokyo Olympics after she completed the requirements to get the Olympic invitation card.
With joining of Mazoon, the number of athletes who will represent the Sultanate increased to five. The squad includes Barakat bin Mubarak al Harthy and Mazoon al Alawi, both will participate in the 100-metre men’s and women’s sprint. Barakat’s coach Mohammed bin Abdullah al Hooti will accompany the team.
The national swimming team will feature coach Ayman bin Hamad al Kulaibi and the talented swimmer Issa bin Sameer al Adawi, who will participate in the 100-metre freestyle swimming competition. The national shooting will be represented by shooter Hamad bin Saeed al Khatri, who will participate in the 50m rifle competitions in 3 positions, along with his coach Sultan bin Salim al Rashidi and the administrator Sulaiman bin Hamad al Hinai. Weightlifter Amer bin Salem al Khanjri will participate in the 81kg weight category alongside with his coach, Mazin al Rashid and Yousef al Hasani as administrator of the team.
OOC CHIEF CONGRATULATES ATHLETES
The OCC chairman appreciated the athletes for achieving the invitation for the Games.
“Congratulations to all the athletes who met the requirements of obtaining the Olympic invitation card. We depend on our athletes to accomplish advanced records and top technical performances. Also, we would like to urge the national team members to represent the Sultanate in an honourable and appropriate manner in this glorious sporting event.”
“We are looking forward to see you as top ambassadors for Oman in this top sporting event. Also, this event is a suitable environment for our sporting representatives to have the right exposure from world ranking champions at the top Olympic venues. A special thanks to the positive efforts that have been taken during last period for technical preparations of the athletes by the coaching staff of the national teams although the negative impact of Covid continues in sports,”
Sayyid Khalid said. Highlighting on the rapid raise on the positive cases and death numbers due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the chairman of OOC requested all the delegation members including players, coaches and administrators to fully adhere to all precautionary health guidelines and procedures issued by the Organising Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ensure the safety of all participants from the Sultanate and the representatives of other countries in the Olympics. Also, he affirmed that everyone’s commitment to all preventive measures will lead to have a safe version of Olympic Games.
Speaking during the meeting with members of the Sultanate’s delegation participating in the Olympics, OOC chief said: “A special thanks to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for his continuous support to the sports and the national athletes. A dedicated thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, led by HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, for the support to ensure the OOC’S presence in Olympic Games.”
BARAKAT PROMISES BEST EFFORT
The national athletes expressed their keenness to ensure good participation in the Tokyo Games.
Top sprinter Barakat al Harthy promised his best efforts in the competition which features the world’s top athletes. “I will try my best to make an impact at the Tokyo Games,” he said.
Shooter Hamad al Khatri pointed out that taking part at Olympic Games is not an easy assignment. “I will do my best to register top results in the tough competition.”
Weightlifter Amer al Khanjri said he is proud to participate in his first Olympics and promised his top performance for the country.
Sprinter Mazoon al Alawi thanked OOC for their efforts to join her in the final list of Olympics athletes. She promised to deliver best technical performance in Tokyo.
The Sultanate’s delegation to the 2020 Olympics will be headed by Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad al Busaidy, Chairman of OOC. The administrative delegation includes Taha bin Sulaiman al Kishry, Secretary-general of OOC, Kazem al Balushi, Chief De mission, Ali al Ajmi from OOC and Adil al Balushi, OOC media officer.
Kazem gave a presentation on the procedures and Covid protocols required for the athletes and the delegation members ahead of travel to Tokyo and during the participation at the Games.
SHOOTER HAMAD AL KHATRI pointed out that taking part at Olympic Games is not an easy assignment. “I will do my best to register top results in the tough competition.”
WEIGHTLIFTER AMER AL KHANJRI said he is proud to participate in his first Olympics and promised his top performance for the country.
I have to thank my entire team for the faith they have shown in me because everyone knows the struggles I have had with the bat in the last few matches
CHRIS GAYLE
GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia: A Chris Gayle half-century blasted the West Indies to victory over Australia in St Lucia on Monday, clinching the five-match T20 series between the sides.
Chasing a modest target of 142, Gayle recaptured his most destructive form in racing to 67 off only 38 balls to take his team to the target with five overs to spare at the Daren Sammy Stadium.
By spearheading the West Indies to an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the series, the 41-year-old also sent an ominous warning that he could yet be a factor in the Caribbean side’s defence of the World T20 title later this year.
Gayle’s pyrotechnics followed another efficient West Indies performance in the field as wristspinner Hayden Walsh again presented the most effective challenge to the Australians with figures of two for 18 in limiting the visitors to 141 for six.
All-rounder Moises Henriques topscored with 33 and struck the only two sixes of his team’s innings.
Henriques’ contribution followed his side’s best opening partnership of the series — 41 — between captain Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade.
However, the tempo of the innings dropped considerably when they were separated by Obed Mccoy in what proved to be the seamer’s only over of the innings.
‘I STILL HAVE IT’
Mitchell Marsh fell cheaply for the first time in the series and when Walsh accounted for Alex Carey and Finch in the same over, their hopes of a first formidable total of this campaign effectively came to an end given the relative inexperience of their batting lineup.
Walsh should have claimed the third wicket but stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran missed a straightforward stumping offered by Henriques who managed to make some use of the reprieve.
Yet all of that effort was put into proper context by Gayle’s muscular performance — his first T20 international half-century in six years, with seven sixes and four fours.
Fully aware of all the speculation off the field as to his value to the team, he went after the Australian bowlers not long after arriving at the crease in the opening over when Mitchell Starc dismissed Andre Fletcher.
Starc would actually emerge relatively unscathed from the celebrated power-hitter’s assault, returning his most economical T20I figures ever of one for 15 from four overs.
However, all the other bowlers felt the weight of Gayle’s bat although paceman Riley Meredith had the consolation of picking up three wickets, including the rampaging Jamaican, for the first time in his brief T20I career.
“I have to thank my entire team for the faith they have shown in me because everyone knows the struggles I have had with the bat in the last few matches,” said Gayle on receiving the Man of the Match award.
“They have all stood up for me and I am happy that I was able to stand up today and deliver to remind everyone that I still have it in me to do something special at the World T20.”
Gayle passed 14,000 runs in all T20 matches during the innings, the only player so far to reach that milestone.
For Finch, it was another case of his team failing to meet the expected standards.
“We really should have built on that start but I didn’t help the situation when I got out and when you’re playing a team like this with so much experience and so many world-class players it is always going to be tough,” he explained.
“Yes, we are missing a number of key players here but that is no excuse. We expect better of ourselves and haven’t managed that yet so far in this series.”