Muscat – The West Asian Badminton Junior Championship will begin on Monday when 58 players representing eight countries will vie for their places in the final rounds.

The preliminary rounds of singles and doubles events for U-15 and U-17 categories will run for two days, followed by the final round.

 The six-day event is organised by the Oman Racket Games Committee (ORSC) in collaboration with Badminton Asia and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. Besides hosts Oman, players representing Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Syria will also compete in the tournament.

“It is a great pleasure to welcome all participants from various West Asian countries to Muscat to participate in the prestigious West Asian Badminton Junior Championship. The beautiful city of Muscat will provide a memorable and successful hosting experience, given Oman’s excellent infrastructure and organisational capabilities. This is the first time Oman is hosting such a prestigious event marking a significant milestone for the country,” said Dr Abdul Rahim al Daroushi, the Chairman of ORSC.

“Thanks to all stakeholders including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Badminton Asia and the private sector sponsors for their contributions to ensuring the success of the tournament.”

Dr Al Daroushi also thanked the committee members, volunteers and all those involved for their hard work and dedication in preparing for the tournament.

Oman’s team completed their technical preparations under the guidance of national coach Hamed al Maqbali and his technical team.

Oman recently completed an internal training camp ahead of the tournament. The coaching staff focused on technical and tactical strategies helping players enhance their skills and prepare for the competition.

The players for the tournament were selected from a national junior tournament organised by ORSC earlier in May.

Shihab al Hinai, Faisal al Hinai, Abdulaziz al Hinai, Ziyad al Hinai, Hamed al Buraidi, Mohammed al Maqrashi, Sultan al Azri, Ahmed al Azri and Miral al Hosni, who got selected, underwent rigorous training camps at various sports complexes across Oman in August, to ensure they are well-prepared for the competition. The team, consisting of eight male players and one female player, will compete in various categories including singles and doubles for boys and singles for girls.