Wednesday 06 / November / 2024
Muscat: Oman Sail marked its 15th anniversary on Wednesday with a celebration of all of the achievements as well as a look at the future.Since 2008, Oman Sail has pioneered the re-emergence of sailing across the nation by engaging Omani boys and girls, professional sailors and people with disabilities in the sport, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle and providing training to create new career opportunities.
Oman Sail has also organised and hosted an impressive roster of major international and regional events, as well as uniting the nation and honing Omani talent in several sports, generating significant global exposure for Oman, securing foreign direct investment, boosting inbound tourism through its extensive range of events and SeaOman, which has served more than 24,000 customers in the last decade, and making an important contribution to the national economy across all areas of the organisation.
Dr Khamis Al Jabri, CEO of Oman Sail, said, “Over the past 15 years, Omani sailors have won 85 medals between youth and senior sailors, we have set two speed records and hold another Guinness World Record for our commitment to the environment. Our success and our growth are testament to the multi-faceted approach we have always taken, and the impact we have had on so many lives across Oman and around the world. It has been our honour to represent Oman at home and abroad and fly the Omani flag proudly wherever we go. We are ambassadors for the sport and for the nation, playing an important role in driving the national economy, connecting our people with our heritage and making the world aware of Oman’s potential as a partner, a tourism destination, and a world-class host venue.”
During this time, Oman Sail has supported Mohsin Al Busaidi to become the first Arab to sail non-stop around the world, recreated the Jewel of Muscat’s historic voyage from Muscat to Singapore, launched Sailing Arabia – The Tour to showcase regional talent and the natural beauty of Oman, introduced the region’s first women’s sailing team and first Para Sailing initiative, and became the first nation in the Middle East to host an America’s Cup event, among many other achievements.
Oman has become a regular host venue for events such as the 44Cup, and for major international events including the 50th edition of the Youth World Sailing Championships, and the 2022 RS Venture World Championships – the first sailing event exclusively for people with disabilities to be held in Oman which welcomed 72 sailors from 18 nations and was the largest Para Sailing event in the world that year. In the same year, Oman Sail won Gold for Best Sport Event Organiser of the year and Silver for Best Sport Event of The Year in the Middle East’s Sport Industry Awards.
Dr Al Jabri added, “We believe strongly in Oman’s ability to become recognised as a powerhouse in sports, tourism and every area of the national economy. The goals of Vision 2040 show us what can be achieved and Oman Sail is committed to supporting this mission. We have developed a new sports event strategy to serve as a roadmap for the next 15 years and beyond which will increase capacity amongst the youth, promote Oman overseas, create training and employment opportunities and direct more investment to the nation.”
Oman Sail’s sports events strategy isfirmly aligned with driving national prioritiesand delivering the strategic goals of Vision 2040. Oman Sail will be a major contributor to staging of major events in Oman, supporting the development of world class facilities and community engagement programmes. Overall, the sports events strategy will contribute to 11 of the 12 National Priorities, with ongoing assessments to ensure that the impact of these supports the Sultanate in achieving the development goals of Vision 2040 – including inspiring community participation and industry development, contributing to a competitive economy, showcasing Oman’s beauty, and working alongside responsible state agencies.
“I would like to thank all of the Oman Sail team, past and present, for their contribution in helping us reaching this milestone. We are certainly one of our nation’s success stories, and have made telling contributions in many economic sectors, but none of this would have been possible without the hard work and diligence of our staff,” concluded Dr Al Jabri.
