Tuesday 27 / January / 2026
Muscat: Thirteen of Oman’s young sailors are preparing to compete at the 2026 Arab Sailing Championships in Soma Bay, Egypt. Racing begins on 28 January with a trial race and runs through until 1 February where Oman will be represented in Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, windsurfing and kitefoil featuring many medal winners from the recent 2026 Winter Cup.
Mohammed Al Qasmi, Khalid Al Sarihi, Al Khalil Al Fori and Mohammed Al Balushi from the Optimist team. Al Qasmi and Al Sarihi recently won gold and silver at the 2026 Winter Cup and will be looking to continue this good form on the Red Sea. The team will be coached by Sultan Al Zadjali, Oman Sail’s Optimist coach.
The ILCA 4 team comprises Hassan Al Wahabi and Aws Al Busaidi, also gold and silver medalists at the Winter Cup, while the ILCA 6 team features Al Moatsem Al Farsi, first place at the Winter Cup, and Ibtisam Al Salmi, a member of the victorious Star Sailors League Team Oman and third place at the Winter Cup. The three-strong ILCA 7 team is made up of all three medal winners: Hussein Al-Jabri, Ahmed Al-Balushi and Abdul Latif Al-Qasmi. Ahmed Al Wahaibi, Oman Sail’s ILCA coach, will be assisting the team throughout.
Oman will also be competing in the men’s iQFOiL windsurfing with Omar Al Qartubi and in the men’s KiteFoil with Al Makhtar Al Mujaini both hoping for strong winds to propel them forward.
Hashim Al Rashdi, Team Lead and Oman Sail’s Head Coach Performance, said, “The Arab Sailing Championships is an exciting opportunity for our sailors to represent the nation against their peers from across the region. With the Winter Cup and the training cup so fresh in the memories of our team we are hopeful of a good performance and for our medalists to carry their impressive form into competition at Soma Bay.”
Sultan Al Zadjali, Optimist team coach, added, “This is a great experience for the entire team across all classes. We are focused on the long-term development of our team with opportunities to represent Oman, become accustomed to high level regattas and compete for medals all valuable learning experiences for the sailors to develop as athletes and as individuals.”
The 2026 Arab Sailing Championship is organised by the Egyptian Sailing and Water Ski Federation in cooperation with the Arab Sailing Federation. After a trial race and the opening ceremony on 28 January, competition begins the following day with the finals series and closing ceremony on 2 February.
Following the conclusion of the regatta, the Optimist team will return home to prepare for the Inter School Regatta from 12-13 February and 2026 Optimist European Championship from 24-31 July in Gdynia, Poland.
