National Programme for
Identifying, Developing Talented Athletes to be Launched

Muscat, 20 Sep 2026 (ONA) — The
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth is preparing to launch the National
Programme for Identifying and Developing Talented Athletes, within the
framework of a national drive aimed at strengthening the system for identifying
sports talent in the Sultanate of Oman, developing their capabilities, and
providing supportive pathways for their growth and continuity in the sporting
field.

The programme stems from the
importance of investing in sports talent as one of the fundamental components
of the future of Omani sport. It targets sports talent across all governorates
of the Sultanate of Oman and promotes integration among relevant entities and
institutions, including educational institutions, clubs, sports associations
and committees, as well as entities and initiatives associated with the
sporting field, thereby contributing to broadening the scope of reaching,
identifying, and supporting talent.

Basil Ahmed Al Rowas,
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Sports and
Youth, stated that the National Programme for Identifying and Developing
Talented Athletes is one of the strategic projects of Oman Sports 2040, which
dedicates efforts to investing in Omani sports talent and aims to build a
comprehensive system encompassing early identification of talent, refinement of
capabilities, and the provision of necessary support and care, in order to
prepare generations qualified to compete with merit in sporting forums.

He added: “The objectives
this national programme seeks to achieve in order to nurture promising sports
talent require work at all of its stages according to a participatory and
integrated approach, and a clear pathway among the relevant entities — educational
institutions, federations, committees, and sports clubs — and, above all, the
community, as a fundamental pillar and important partner from the earliest
stages of the programme’s launch. In recognition of the importance of community
partnership in building the identity of national programmes, this is an
invitation to all members of society, athletes, and those interested in
sporting affairs to contribute to shaping the identity of this programme by
submitting their proposals for the most suitable name to express its mission
and its ambitious vision for developing the Omani sporting landscape.”

He affirmed that the attainment
of goals is realized through effective partnership and the adoption of the
principle of serious national work to move from the level of studied integrated
planning to the stages of implementation with efficiency and quality. He pointed
out that the success of this national system is based on cooperation in a
manner that serves the aspirations of Omani sport and enhances its standing
both locally and internationally.

The Ministry has also launched a
community campaign to select a short name for the programme under the slogan
“The Programme is National, and the Name We Choose Together.” The
Ministry invites members of society, athletes, and those interested in sporting
affairs to participate in selecting the programme’s name through the dedicated
electronic form and to submit their proposals for the name. The selection
process focuses on names that reflect the programme’s identity and national
mission, and that are clear, easy to remember, and close to the community.

Participation in selecting the
name forms part of an approach that enables the community to be part of
building the programme’s identity from its inception, while also raising
awareness of the importance of identifying and developing sports talent, and
consolidating the concept of partnership between the relevant entities and the
community in supporting sports talent. It also reflects the national dimension
of the programme and the importance of community participation in choosing its
identity, paving the way for a phase in which efforts to identify and develop
the capabilities of talented athletes and support their journey in the
Sultanate of Oman continue.

This national programme is a
unified national system for identifying sports talent, enhancing integration
between education and the sports sector, and enabling the preparation of a
sporting generation capable of competing regionally and internationally. The
programme passes through three distinct phases: the first phase, the near term
(2025–2026), entitled Establishment and Launch; the second phase, the medium
term (2026–2030), Activation and Expansion; while the third phase, the long
term (2030–2035), will be entitled Empowerment and Sustainability. The project
comprises a main national supervisory committee, discovery centres in the
governorates, a sports discovery license programme, in addition to an external
scholarship programme for outstanding athletes.

— Ends/AH