Muscat – Following the success of Ironman 70.3 Salalah, an ambitious plan to host a bigger version in Muscat is taking shape. The event, from February 2 to 4, will be held in the heart of the city starting from Qurum Beach.

The 90km bike course will pass by Muttrah Corniche, Al Alam Palace and Al Bustan Palace Hotel. Participants while run two laps (21.1km) in Qurum and finish next to Qurum Beach.

Speaking about the event, Mohamed Obaidani, CEO of Triathlon Middle East, said, “The Salalah event was a grand success and we have some massive response from sportsmen, sponsors and the audience. People from over 50 countries attended and we expect a bigger number and response in Muscat.”

The Muscat edition will be on a similar concept as that of Salalah, and expected to attract over 1,000 athletes compared to 700 in Salalah. This will be the fourth edition of Ironman in Oman.

According to Ali Nadir al Tamimi, Managing Director of Triathlon Middle East, the sultanate benefits from Ironman events because 95 per cent of the athletes come from outside the sultanate. “They bring their families as well, and pay themselves for everything – airline tickets, transportation, accommodation, food and other things they require. They stay from three to seven days, so if 1,000 athletes participate, that means 4,000 people will come for at least three days. There will be huge demand in all hotels in the area, besides demand for restaurants and transportation.”

He added that Ironman 70.3 Salalah provided a significant boost for Salalah and Oman’s tourism economy and related sectors, besides giving competing athletes a chance to experience the phenomenal beauty of Salalah and Dhofar.