Tuesday 24 / September / 2024
Muscat: Oman has an opportunity to host some of the biggest sports events in the world, which will help it make its presence felt as a global sporting destination.
The country has a chance to hold some games from the upcoming Twenty20 Cricket World Cup, which may see some of the finest cricket teams turn up, as well as the 2021 Mussanah Race Week that has been scheduled for the last week of October, and will bring to Oman the best competitive sailors.
The Sultanate was also recently awarded the right to host the 2024 Hockey 5s World Cup, which will see as many as 32 international teams coming to Oman.
Oman only recently emerged as a probable contender as a venue for some games of the Twenty20 World Cup. While the tournament was initially to be held in Australia during November of this year, the hosting rights have since been handed over to India.
However, with the COVID-19 situation in that country still quite serious, India’s cricket governing body, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), approached the United Arab Emirates as a venue for the games, at which point the possibility of holding some games in Oman was also raised.
“The International Cricket Council wanted four venues for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup,” Madhu Jesrani, the General Secretary of the Oman Cricket Association, exclusively told Times of Oman.
“There are three ready venues in the UAE, so our facilities in Muscat were also considered. Nothing is finalised yet, and we are waiting for the final approval from the BCCI and International Cricket Council (ICC). We are likely to know more about this in the coming days – a decision is likely to be made by the 25th of June.”
Oman potentially holding some games also depends on whether India chooses to not go through with hosting it themselves, added Pankaj Khimji, the OCA’s Chairman, who has been in regular talks with the ICC to determine the requirements Oman will need to fulfil, should some matches be held in the country.
“We are obviously very keen to share venue duties for the World Cup – it would be a real feather in our cap if we did that,” he said. “We have told the ICC that we are happy to have a few games here, they are okay with us doing that, but before all of this to happen, we need official confirmation that India is indeed going ahead with holding the games elsewhere. This is expected to happen closer to the end of the month.”
“The ICC has given us a wish list of things they need to see from us if we are to go ahead,” added Khimji. “Firstly, do we need to improve the quality of our floodlights, so that the 22 cameras that will be installed around the pitch can cover the game well enough? We also need to see if our dressing rooms need updating, because you no longer have 20-man squads, it’s now a 30-man detachment from each side.”
Also discussed was the possible need to set up a COVID-19 bubble, where participating teams are only allowed to travel to and from their hotels to their match venues and training grounds, a provision Madhu Jesrani also takes seriously. “There was a COVID bubble in place during this season’s Indian Premier League, but that was not as effective because the infection rates in India were very high,” he said.
“There was a need, therefore, to immediately relocate the tournament to the UAE. It was for this reason that the Middle East has once again been considered as a venue: the T20 World Cup is a tournament on the international stage – everybody watches it, so it needs to go really well.”
Although the matches are likely to be held in both Gulf countries, the BCCI will still be the hosts for the event, with both Oman and the UAE serving as venue partners. Should Oman be chosen as a venue, it will mean the country’s national team will get to play their first major tournament on home soil.
“We are attempting to run about six games here, including the preliminary ones,” explained Jesrani. “If our effort to hold some matches here is successful, then we will try to make sure that Oman’s group gets to play in our country. I ask everyone in Oman to pray for us to make this happen…this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, and it will be great if it turns out to be successful.”
The OCA’s stadium in Al Amerat has received approval to act as venue for the games, should India recuse itself from hosting the tournament.
Oman is one of 16 teams to qualify for the Twenty20 World Cup, with the others being India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Namibia and Scotland.
Oman’s hockey team, on the other hand, do not need to qualify for the 2024 Hockey 5s World Cup, for which they have qualified as hosts. The country bagged the hosting rights for the tournament after earning 13 out of a total of 16 votes, facing off against six other contenders.
Up to 16 teams will each participate in the men’s and women’s divisions of what will be the first edition of a world cup featuring a five-a-side version of the game.
“The successful bid reflects Oman’s ability to organise world-class events in accordance with global standards,” said Dr Narinder Batra, the chairman of the International Hockey Federation, told Oman News Agency. “Oman’s file has been distinguished in every respect and we are confident of the Oman Hockey Association’s ability to successfully host the event.”
Another event scheduled to take place this year is the Oman International Youth Cup, which is jointly held by the Muscat Football Academy and Oman Football Association. Pencilled in for December, the tournament will see youth teams from some of the best clubs in the world come to Oman.
“It all depends on the situation at the time, but with government support, we’re looking to get this tournament underway as expected,” said Chuck Martini, the MFA Technical Director.
