Adil Al Balushi

Paris, France – Oman’s shooter Said al Khatri will begin Oman’s quest for glory at the Paris Olympic Games on Monday.

Al Khatri will begin his challenge in the preliminary qualification of the event at Châteauroux Shooting Center on Monday.  Al Khatri will compete in group six alongside some of the top shooters across the world, including China’s Qi Ying, Brol Carenas Jean from Guam, Guerrero Sebastian from France, Fernandez Alberto from Spain and Lorenzo Eduardo from the Dominican Republic.

The qualifying rounds will run for two days and six shooters will advance to finals.

On the first day, the shooters will begin with 75 targets in the initial round and it will be divided into three rounds of 25 targets each. On the second day on Tuesday, 50 targets will be in total and will divided into two rounds of 25 targets each.

Al Khatri completed his official training session on Sunday under the watchful eye of Italian coach Luca Marini. He completed some positive training sessions in the couple of days ahead of the competitions at the Châteauroux Shooting Center.

He arrived earlier in France to train hard alongside other international shooters. Additionally, he participated in an external training camp in Italy for several days prior to the start of the Games.

This camp and the short training in Châteauroux will help the Omani shooter gain more confidence, adapt to the competition environment and become familiar with the weapons and varying weather conditions. This will raise his chances of achieving good scores in the qualifying rounds.

Marini, said that the qualifying competitions will feature many shooters from various countries. “It is expected to be tough competition as everyone aims to secure a spot in the next stage. Olympic debutant Al Khatri will eye to set and break personal records besides improving his world ranking and earn additional points to enhance his international and regional presence in various championships. Competing in the Olympics is a significant opportunity for the shooter to gain valuable technical skills and experience. It is the largest event that brings together shooters from around the world to compete for medals on world-class ranges meeting international standards. This participation will provide Al Khatri with more responsibility and confidence to compete in upcoming regional, continental and international championships,” Marini said.

Technical leaders meeting for Athletics

The technical meeting for athletics competitions will take place on Tuesday. The national athletics coach, Fahad Khalfan al Mashaykhi, will attend the meeting to represent Oman as athletes Ali al Balushi and Mazoon al Alawi will participate in the 100m event.

The meeting is expected to cover various technical details about the athletics competitions including the schedules for athletes’ training and official training details. Also, the announcement of all final lists for the different competitions, including the 100-meter race heats. The athletes will be divided into several heats to compete in the preliminary rounds followed by progression to the final stages of the competition.

Female Runner Mazoon al Alawi, who is making her third appearance in the Olympics, will participate in the preliminary rounds while Al Balushi, who is making his Olympics debut, will compete in the second stage after the preliminary rounds as he already secured his place in the Olympics through his ranking in the 100m race as recognised by the World Athletics.

Swimmer Issa gears up for 100m freestyle

Swimmer Issa al Adawi, who is making his second attendance at the Olympics after Tokyo Games in 2020, is undergoing intensive training at Paris La Defense Arena in Paris. Issa will compete on Tuesday in the 100m freestyle event and the competition will begin at 1:15 PM (Oman time). The Omani swimmer will look to deliver a positive performance in his second Olympic appearance and achieve new records.

Al Zubair Meets Sports Delegation

Sheikh Khalid Mohammed al Zubair, Chairman of Oman Olympic Committee (OOC), met the members of the sports delegation which is representing Oman at Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Saturday. At the beginning of the meeting, the Chairman of OOC congratulated all the athletes on their qualifications and attendance in the most prestigious sporting event in the world.

He urged them to gain the maximum technical benefit from this significant Olympic participation and to achieve the highest possible technical gains. He also encouraged them to double their efforts and deliver high-level performances to honour Oman and raise the country’s flag high in this major sporting event.

OOC chairman met Oman’s ambassador

Sheikh Khalid Mohammed al Zubair, Chairman of (OOC) and head of Oman’s delegation to the Paris Olympics met with HE Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed al Oraimi at Oman’s embassy headquarters in Paris. The meeting was attended by members of the official delegation and several officials from Oman’s embassy in France. Al Zubair praised all the facilities and services provided by H.E. the Ambassador and the members of Oman’s embassy in Paris over the past months ensuring the successful participation of Oman’s delegation in this major Olympic event. HE Ambassador expressed his happiness with Oman’s participation in Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He conveyed his best wishes to the sports delegation of Oman with his hopes to achieve the desired and advanced results in this significant global sporting event.