Muscat – Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) has signed Olympic scholarship agreements with ten athletes as part of preparations for the 34th Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

The agreements were signed on Tuesday at a ceremony chaired by H H Sayyid Azan bin Qais al Said, OOC president, in the presence of board members, sports federation heads, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth officials and local media.

OOC Secretary General Abdullah bin Mohammed Bamkhalif said the committee remains committed to providing athletes with support mechanisms that help them achieve the competitive levels required for Olympic participation.

He said the scholarships are part of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity Programme, which funds training and technical preparation for eligible athletes. Ten athletes from three sports were selected for this scholarship.

Taekwondo: Fidaa bint Fouad al Barwani, Dawood bin Fahd al Yousufi and Al Muhannad bin Tawfiq al Balushi.

Fencing: Ahmed bin Anwar Kaskas, Israa bint Saif al Siyabi and Jana bint Mohammed al Sharjy.

Athletics: Ali bin Anwar al Balushi, Molhim bin Darwish al Balushi, Fatek bin Abdulghafour Sanjour and Alia bint Faiq al Maghiri.

Oman secured the ten grants despite an initial allocation of six scholarships based on its delegation size at the last Olympic Games. OOC said the increase followed extensive coordination with the International Olympic Solidarity to enable more athletes to benefit from preparation programmes.

The Olympic Scholarships Programme assists National Olympic Committees to prepare their athletes for the Games by improving training and competition environments, providing financial and technical support and encouraging female participation. Athletes must meet eligibility criteria including recognised technical standards, limited access to resources and adherence to the Olympic Charter and anti-doping rules.

H H Sayyid Azan said the event reflects Oman’s drive to produce athletes capable of competing internationally. He added that the scholarships support a national project to develop Olympic champions, in line with directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and H H Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tarik, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth. “We consider the creation of champions a shared national responsibility and an open field for partnership with the private sector, which plays a fundamental role in supporting Olympic preparation programmes, whether through direct sponsorship or innovative initiatives in training, scientific and medical qualification.”