Wednesday 19 / August / 2026
MUSCAT: A three-medal haul capped a promising campaign for Oman at the West Asia Table Tennis Championships in Jordan, with the Sultanate’s young players returning home with one silver and two bronze medals after seven days of intense regional competition.
The results underlined the growing strength of Oman’s youth table tennis programme, with players making their mark across the team and doubles events against some of the region’s leading young talents.
The standout performance came from Ahmed al Rawahi and Iyad al Jasasi, who secured silver in the boys’ U19 doubles.
The Omani pair battled past Qatar’s Taqi Al Din Najadat and Jad al Baisani 3-2 in a closely fought semi-final to reach the title decider.
They pushed hard again in the final but narrowly went down 3-2 to Qatar’s Ahmed Qarni and Rawad Al Nasser, settling for a well-earned runners-up finish and Oman’s first medal of the championships.
Oman’s girls then added two bronze medals in the U13 events.
Talia al Rawahi, Salma al Nasri and Fatma al Balushi claimed bronze in the girls’ U13 team event after a competitive campaign.
Oman defeated Qatar 3-1 but suffered narrow 3-2 and 3-1 defeats against Jordan and Bahrain respectively, before losing 3-0 to Kuwait. Bahrain won the gold, with Kuwait taking silver and Qatar finishing fourth.
The third medal came in the girls’ U13 doubles, where Salma al Nasri and Talia al Rawahi reached the semi-finals following a series of encouraging performances. Their run ended with a 3-1 defeat against Qatar’s Kinda Mahmoud and Hessa, earning the Omani pair another bronze.
For Oman’s coaching staff, the medal tally was encouraging evidence of progress, while the closely contested matches also highlighted areas needing further work. National team coach Omid Shams Shahrbabaki praised the players for their efforts and said the results reflected the continued development of Omani table tennis.
“These achievements reflect the progress made by our players, both boys and girls. We were hoping to win more medals, but some of our players suffered defeats in several closely fought matches,” Shahrbabaki said.
He stressed that the championships offered valuable international exposure for Oman’s young players, allowing them to gain experience against strong regional opposition.
The competition also provided the coaching team with an opportunity to assess the players’ performances and identify areas for improvement ahead of upcoming tournaments.
