Sunday 15 / December / 2024
Muscat: In partnership with bp Oman, Oman Paralympic Committee and Oman Sail concluded the second level of the National Paralympic Coaching Course at the Amal Club in Muscat; targeting 20 coaches, eight of which are from Oman Sail to obtain nationally accredited certificates in para-sports.
The coaching course is delivered as part of the Sail Free programme - implemented in partnership with Oman Sail - and was first launched in 2019 with the aim of empowering disabled youth in the sport of sailing. The course introduced them to the latest training methods and will include theoretical and practical knowledge in para-sports in the next level.
The second level supplemented the first level and included topics such as paralympic classification, framework for successful training programmes, mental training principles and medical classifications to further qualify the coaches.
Ibrahim Al Hinai, bp Oman social investment specialist, commented: “This course reflects our aims at bp Oman around empowering people with disabilities. Through this programme, we have contributed towards achieving it by certifying and training Omani coaches around para-sports. We hope that by qualifying Omani coaches it will further support our nation and allow athletes with disabilities to compete in various paralympic championships and for our communities to continue supporting one another.”
Dr. Mansoor Al Tauqi, President of the Oman Paralympic Committee, further added: “The course has already achieved one its objectives by qualifying the first batch of Omani coaches and they have started working with many national teams and clubs across their training programmes to prepare them for international championships. Continuing to qualify more coaches will support the growing needs of people with different disabilities classifications. This will support our growing number of athletes and the parasports championships participated in as well as promote the utilisation of sports as a method of rehabilitation across the community.”
Khamis Al Anbouri, Commercial Director at Oman Sail, said: “Sail Free has shown people with disabilities how to enjoy a sense of freedom on the water. The National Paralympic Coaching Course is one of the tools we have successfully used to train our coaches, and something we use regularly within the Sail Free programme. Advancing to the second level shows our commitment to training Omanis in Para Sailing and on coaching people in Oman with disabilities. This is a great step forward and we hope to continue this growth by supporting the pursuit of further international qualifications in the future.”
