Muscat – Oman’s national sailing team will return home as heroes after an impressive haul of nine medals at the 2026 Arab Sailing Championships in Soma Bay, Egypt.
The team of 13 sailors, comprising some of Oman’s brightest young sailors, won triple gold in the ILCA 7 and another gold in the ILCA 6, as well as one silver and four bronze medals. This achievement marks yet another triumph for Oman Sail’s national sailing programme and reinforces Oman’s standing within the sport.
Abdul Latif al Qasmi won two golds in the ILCA 7, topping the overall ranking and claiming the U19 title as well. Hussein al Jabri won bronze in the ILCA 7 and also won gold in the ILCA Masters category. Al Moatsem al Farsi won ILCA 6 gold while Ibtisam al Salmi won bronze in the Masters category.
Khalid al Sarihi won silver in the Optimist class and Mohammed al Balushi won bronze in the U11 category. Al Makhtar al Mujaini won bronze in the KiteFoil competition.
Hashim al Rashdi, Oman Sail’s Head Coach Performance, said, “We are all delighted with the performance of the team. To win medals at such a prestigious event for sailing in the region is a fantastic achievement and credit must go to the sailors for their hard work and dedication. From the winter training camp, through the Winter Cup and now at the Arab Sailing Championships they have shown continuous improvement and learned from the coaches, but being able to perform at such a high level when called upon is the mark of a champion and we are hopeful that this is one of many wins for our national sailing team.”
Sultan al Zadjali, Optimist team coach, added, “Everyone at Oman Sail is so proud of our young team. They sailed with the levels of composure it can take decades to build up and fully deserve their medals. In training we practiced new maneuvers, advanced tactics and techniques suited to the conditions, and it was clear to see during racing that the team had absorbed these lessons. We return home now as champions and with even more experience to take forward to the next regatta.”
Al Qasmi, who won two gold medals in the ILCA 7, added, “I am so happy to win this medal. We’ve really worked hard to get to this stage, and this is a dream come true. It shows that the methods are working and as a team I believe we can continue to grow and win many more medals for our nation on the water.”
The 2026 Arab Sailing Championship was organised by the Egyptian Sailing and Water Ski Federation in cooperation with the Asian Sailing Federation. The event featured 139 sailors from 10 Arab countries – Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the hosts.
The Optimist team will soon be taking part in this year’s Inter School Regatta, held on 12-13 February.
