Muscat – Oman are targeting glory at the Sanya 2026 Asian Beach Games, with their national teams poised to launch a strong bid for medals across multiple events.

Oman’s national beach soccer team continued their preparations for Thursday’s opening group-stage match against Palestine at the Sanya 2026 Asian Beach Games.  The match is at 5 pm Muscat time.

Oman will then face host nation China on Saturday at the same time.

Under the leadership of experienced coach Talib bin Hilal Al Thanawi, the technical staff has focused on tactical, technical, and skill-based training to ensure full readiness for the competition. Oman team look to emulate their success at the inaugural edition held in Bali in 2008, where they won the beach soccer title.

The Sanya 2026 Asian Beach Games features 1,790 athletes representing 45 Asian National Olympic Committees, competing in 14 sports and 61 events.

Oman are competing in beach soccer, beach volleyball, beach handball, athletics, and triathlon. Oman have won 17 medals in the history of the Asian Beach Games, including six gold, four silver, and seven bronze medals.

Oman beach handball team coach Hamoud bin Salem Al Hassani said focus, discipline, and psychological readiness will be key to achieving positive results as they aim for top positions, despite being in a tough group that includes strong teams such as Qatar, Pakistan, Jordan, and Thailand

The team is assisted by Jaber bin Yaqoub Al Balushi, with Saeed bin Ali Al Hosni as team manager, Talib bin Afandi Al Balushi as administrator, and Hossam El Din Adly as physiotherapist. The squad includes Yasser Al Harthi, Mahdi Al Sulaimani, Hudhaifa Al Siyabi, Bashar Al Hinai, Saeed Al Hassani, Ali Al Jamii, Muhannad Al Zarafi, Abdulhakim Al Siyabi, Asaad Al Hassani, and Saeed Al Hassani.

The Oman national athletics team arrived in Sanya on Monday to begin preparations for the competition, which will be held at Phoenix Island. Events include the 60m sprint, high jump, long jump, and relay races.

The team is coached by Mohammed Al Hooti (sprints) and Imad Seraj (jumps), with Abdullah Al Jabri as administrator. The squad includes Rashid Al Asmi, Fatek Bait Qaisan, Mohammed Al Saadi, Nimir Al Busaidi, Salem Al Yaarubi, Azza Al Yaarubi, and Alia Al Mughairi.

Retired Brigadier Saeed bin Mohammed Al Hajri, Chairman of the Oman Athletics Association, described the participation as a key milestone, marking the return of Asian beach sports after several years.

He explained that the federation’s “Champion Development” strategy aims to diversify athletes’ skills beyond traditional track surfaces to include sand-based events, taking advantage of Oman’s long coastline.

He added that the preparation programme focused on explosive power and balance due to the challenges of running and jumping on sand. Training camps were held in coastal areas such as Seeb and Al Musannah to simulate competition conditions.

He emphasised that Oman aims not only to participate but to win medals and achieve personal bests, noting strong competition from countries such as China, Thailand, and India, as well as GCC nations.

He concluded by stressing the importance of turning achievements into a sustainable sporting culture and expressed hope for establishing a national centre for beach sports in Oman, supported by both government and private sector partnerships.