Monday 24 / February / 2025
Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) participated in the 100th GCC NOCs meeting, held in Kuwait last Sunday. Representing OOC at the meeting were Taha Sulaiman Al-Kishry, OOC Secretary-General; Sayyida Sanaa Hamad Al-Busaidiya, Chairwoman of Oman Women’s Sports and Gender Equality Committee; and Mohammed Hamad Al-Rahbi, OOC Executive Director.
The meeting reviewed several important agenda items related to sports and athletes in the GCC countries, focusing on their development. Among the key topics discussed were the latest updates on the 3rd GCC Beach Games, which Oman will host from April 5 to 11, 2024. The Secretary-General provided a detailed presentation on the latest preparations for hosting the event, including the unveiling of the games' logo. Members of the Executive Board and representatives of the GCC General Secretariat expressed their gratitude to OOC for its commitment and dedication to organizing the event according to the highest standards, ensuring an ideal environment for the competitions. The General Secretariat also urged NOCs of GCC countries to adhere to the timelines set by the organizing committee and the regulations outlined in the GCC Joint Games Statute.
The Executive Board reviewed the schedule for the GCC Joint Sports Games from 2023 to 2027. Additionally, the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee submitted a request to host the 2nd GCC Youth Games in 2028, which was approved. A recommendation was made to GCC NOCs, for final endorsement. The Planning, Coordination, and Follow-up Committee was tasked with preparing a schedule for the GCC Joint Sports Games for the years 2029 to 2031.
Members were also briefed on the draft of the Unified Statute for GCC Sports Federations, prepared by the Qatari Olympic Committee in coordination with the Advisory Sports Committee. The draft included a proposal for the establishment of a GCC Sports Federation. It was agreed to circulate the draft statute to NOCs of the GCC countries for feedback before submitting it to the Supreme Council for approval. The relevant committee was assigned to update the statute as needed, as it serves as a legal framework aimed at unifying GCC sports efforts under a single organizational umbrella.
In follow-up to the work of the advisory committees under the Executive Board, the Board approved the plans of the Sports and Athletes Committees for 2025. It also emphasized the need for the Advisory Committee for Women’s Sports and the Paralympic Committee to expedite the preparation of their plans for the current year. The advisory committees were urged to enhance their contributions and improve performance in implementing their plans for the coming years.
The Board approved the organization of a conference on sports law and management, in line with the strategy for developing joint sports efforts endorsed by GCC NOCs Heads. The Planning, Coordination, and Follow-up Committee was tasked with developing a comprehensive plan for the conference, initially limited to GCC countries, with the possibility of expanding it into an international event in the future.
On another note,Sayyida Sanaa Hamad Al-Busaidiya, Chairwoman of Oman Women’s Sports and Gender EqualityCommittee, and Saada Salem Al-Ismailiya, Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee, participated in the meeting of the Advisory Committee for Women’s Sports, held in Kuwait. Dr. Amer Hamed Al-Touqi, a member of the Sports Advisory Committee, attended the 6th meeting of the committee. The meeting addressed several topics, including the Unified Statute for GCC Sports Federations, the committee’s action plan for 2025, and updates on the 3rd GCC Beach Games. Additionally, Badr Ali Awlad Thani from OOC participated in a workshop on preventing competition manipulation, held on the sidelines of the meetings.
