Sunday 11 / May / 2025
Muscat: In partnership with bp Oman, Oman Paralympic Committee concluded the second level of the National Paralympic Coaching Course at the Amal Club in Muscat, in a closing ceremony held in celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disability last week. The event was held under the patronage of Her Highness Sayyida Hujaija Jaifer Al Said, Chairwoman of the Association for the Welfare of Handicapped Children in Oman.
The course trained 23 coaches, six of which are Oman Sail coaches, to obtain a nationally accredited certificate in the field of para-sports. They will also be trained in the advanced level to develop their theoretical and practical knowledge in para-sports in the next level. The next current level focused on coaching people with disabilities and educate coaches on topics such as functional classification of athletes with disabilities, Paralympic categories and classifications, human anatomy, sport psychology and coaching psychology.
The coaching course is delivered as part of the SailFree programme - implemented in partnership with Oman Sail and bp - and was first launched in 2019 with the aim of empowering disabled youth in the sport of sailing.
Shamsa Al-Rawahi, bp Oman social investment manager, commented: “We value embracing diversity in society and this programme is a great example of how we can provide equal opportunities to society in sports. We are proud of our partnership with Oman Paralympic Committee and their huge efforts to empower positive changes in paralympic sports within our community.”
Dr. Mansoor Al Tauqi, President of the Oman Paralympic Committee, further added: “The Oman Paralympic committee in partnership with bp Oman, demonstrated the significant role of Paralympic sports in empowering our youth to play sports internationally. We are grateful to have delivered this coaching course as it will provide improved capabilities towards the Sail Free programme.”
The CEO of Oman Sail Dr. Khamis Al Jabri, commented: “SailFree has made excellent progress since launching and we have already seen the first selection of para sailors represent Oman at World Championships held in Europe and at Mussanah Race Week for the very first time. It is vital that we keep advancing and improving the level of coaching through the course provided by OPC in order to maximise the potential of the athletes and the coaches for future international games. Our ultimate goal is to win an Olympic medal for Oman in sailing and building the capacity of our coaches to train talented athletes is an important step in that direction.”
