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10-11-06, 02:17 PM
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Oman is all set to give a terrific and a traditional welcome to the 15th Doha Asian Games Torch Relay, which will begin its journey in the Gulf region with its arrival in Salalah from Tehran on Saturday. The Doha Asiad Torch Relay, which began with the flame lighting ceremony in Doha on October 8, has so far travelled to India, South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and Iran. The Torch Relay will conclude the longest journey in the Asian Games history when it lights the cauldron to officially open the Games on December 1, having travelled to 15 countries and regions over a period of 55 days and covering a distance of 55,000 kms. The Minister of Sports Affairs, Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, will officially lead the Sultanate's welcoming party and would receive the torch from Shaikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, Ambassador of the Torch Relay Flame, when the special aircraft arrives at the Salalah airport at 3.00 pm on Saturday. Giving the details of the Torch Relay programme in the Sultanate, the Oman Athletics Association Chairman and chief of the organising committee, Shaikh Soud bin Hamed al Rawahi said: "The arrangements for the Torch Relay are in the final stages. We have planned an exciting and entertaining schedule, which would be an unique affair." According to the plans unveiled yesterday, the torch carrying the 'Flame of Hospitality' will not only travel by air but also experience the gentle ride on a traditional dhow followed by majestic rides on horses and camels. Of course, the torchbearers would comprise former football greats, renowned athletes and top sports administrators, as the torch completes the journey in the Sultanate on November 15, when it would be handed over to the UAE officials at the Al Wijaja border after Sohar. In Salalah, the sports minister would hand over the torch to former football great Younus Aman, who will carry the torch to the Cultural Theatre in the heart of the city along with other athletes before handing over to yet another former football star Mohammed bin Amour al Katheri. The official celebration will begin with the handing over of torch by Mohammed al Katherei to the chief guest, Shaikh Mohammed bin Ali al Qatabi, Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, who will light the cauldron at the theatre. The following day, the torchbearers will hold a run through the main thoroughfares of Salalah covering the major tourist attractions before the torch is flown to Muscat at 5.00 in the evening. The Sultanate capital is all braced for a grand ceremony though there would be a quiet entry at the Seeb International Airport. The Under-Secretary at the sports ministry, Rashad bin Ahmed al Hinai along with the Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) Deputy Chairman Habib Abdulnabi Macki and Shaikh Soud will receive the torch and then bring it to Muttrah Corniche. The evening ceremony will begin with the lighting of the cauldron at the Corniche roundabout. The torch would then be handed over to Said Saleh al Hinai, the captain of Al Ahli Club, which won the inaugural His Majesty's Cup Football Championship in 1971. In fact, Said had the privilege to receive the HM's Cup from His Majesty the Sultan. The torch would complete a relay run till the end of the Corniche and among the torchbearers nominated are the first OOC chief, Abdullah Hamad al Ali, first OOC Secretary-General Madny Sharif al Bakry, previous OOC Secretary-General Shaikh Ahmed bin Hashil al Maskari, former national long jump champion Mansoor al Toqi, former national 800m athlete Azzan al Laghbari, Hamood Suweidan al Hashmi, Asiad medallist Jehad Abdullah al Shaikh, former football star Ghulam Khamis, long-serving OAA board member Mohsin al Khusaibi and OAA technical adviser Ali Humeid al Saidi. The next day, the torch would begin a traditional dhow ride with three boats participating in the morning event, which will begin at the Marina Bander al Rowdha. The three boats — Masroor, Ibra and Lubna — will carry on board His Highnesses and virtually who is who of Oman sports. Masroor will carry the torch along with His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tareq al Said, His Highness Sayyid Hareb bin Thuwaini al Said, Shaikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, Rashad al Hinai, Shaikh Sabah al Saadi, Naif Obaid al Salami, Habib Abdulnabi Macki, Shaikh Soud al Rawahi, Ibrahim bin Ali Qamber and five representatives from Qatar besides a folk troupe. Ibra will have on board Shaikh Khalil bin Ahmed al Khalili, Mohammed Ilyas Faqir, Qais Alasfoor, selected scribes and five officials from the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (Dagoc). The boat will also have a pipe band entertaining the group while Lubna will have Mohammed bin Issa al Fairuz, Adil Assaid, Majid Alasfoor, Saleh Khalifa al Khusaibi, Abdullah al Farsi and Dagoc representatives on board. All the three boats will go for a cruise and cross the Al Bustan Palace Hotel and Barr al Jissah Resort before returning to Port Sultan Qaboos where the Coast Guard boats will welcome the three boats and entertain the crowd with huge water sprays across the sea. The official lighting of the torch will be done at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) under the auspices of the Sayyid Mutassim bin Hamoud al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Muscat at 3.00 pm in the presence of ministers and other dignitaries. At the SQSC, the organisers have appealed for the locals to turn up in large numbers to enjoy the evening, which would also have a motor show by Royal Guard of Oman, musical bands performances and camel show. The torch would then be carried to the Seeb roundabout by torchbearers by road. The torch would then travel to Sohar in a car cavalcade the same evening. The celebrations in Sohar would begin the next day (November 14) when the Wali of Sohar will light the torch amid the backdrop of the Sohar Fort. He would then hand it over to Oman's top horse rider His Highness Sayyid Loay bin Ghalib al Said, who along with more than a dozen horsemen, will carry the torch on the Sohar Corniche before handing over to a group of camel riders. The camel riders will hand over to torchbearers on foot at the end of the Corniche who will carry it to the Sohar roundabout to conclude the function. The Oman organising committee chief Shaikh Soud along with other senior officials will carry the torch by road to the Oman border of Al Wijaja to hand over the torch to the UAE officials the next morning. The torch will cross the UAE to Kuwait and then to Bahrain before reaching Qatar on November 25. The torch will cross the major towns of Qatar before reaching Doha on December 1 where the torch will light the cauldron built atop one of the tallest towers in Doha to officially open the 15th Asian Games.
(oman observer)
I wish they could manage to include as many ex-Omani stars as possible , so that they can feel that they r still remembered.
Oman is all set to give a terrific and a traditional welcome to the 15th Doha Asian Games Torch Relay, which will begin its journey in the Gulf region with its arrival in Salalah from Tehran on Saturday. The Doha Asiad Torch Relay, which began with the flame lighting ceremony in Doha on October 8, has so far travelled to India, South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and Iran. The Torch Relay will conclude the longest journey in the Asian Games history when it lights the cauldron to officially open the Games on December 1, having travelled to 15 countries and regions over a period of 55 days and covering a distance of 55,000 kms. The Minister of Sports Affairs, Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, will officially lead the Sultanate's welcoming party and would receive the torch from Shaikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, Ambassador of the Torch Relay Flame, when the special aircraft arrives at the Salalah airport at 3.00 pm on Saturday. Giving the details of the Torch Relay programme in the Sultanate, the Oman Athletics Association Chairman and chief of the organising committee, Shaikh Soud bin Hamed al Rawahi said: "The arrangements for the Torch Relay are in the final stages. We have planned an exciting and entertaining schedule, which would be an unique affair." According to the plans unveiled yesterday, the torch carrying the 'Flame of Hospitality' will not only travel by air but also experience the gentle ride on a traditional dhow followed by majestic rides on horses and camels. Of course, the torchbearers would comprise former football greats, renowned athletes and top sports administrators, as the torch completes the journey in the Sultanate on November 15, when it would be handed over to the UAE officials at the Al Wijaja border after Sohar. In Salalah, the sports minister would hand over the torch to former football great Younus Aman, who will carry the torch to the Cultural Theatre in the heart of the city along with other athletes before handing over to yet another former football star Mohammed bin Amour al Katheri. The official celebration will begin with the handing over of torch by Mohammed al Katherei to the chief guest, Shaikh Mohammed bin Ali al Qatabi, Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, who will light the cauldron at the theatre. The following day, the torchbearers will hold a run through the main thoroughfares of Salalah covering the major tourist attractions before the torch is flown to Muscat at 5.00 in the evening. The Sultanate capital is all braced for a grand ceremony though there would be a quiet entry at the Seeb International Airport. The Under-Secretary at the sports ministry, Rashad bin Ahmed al Hinai along with the Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) Deputy Chairman Habib Abdulnabi Macki and Shaikh Soud will receive the torch and then bring it to Muttrah Corniche. The evening ceremony will begin with the lighting of the cauldron at the Corniche roundabout. The torch would then be handed over to Said Saleh al Hinai, the captain of Al Ahli Club, which won the inaugural His Majesty's Cup Football Championship in 1971. In fact, Said had the privilege to receive the HM's Cup from His Majesty the Sultan. The torch would complete a relay run till the end of the Corniche and among the torchbearers nominated are the first OOC chief, Abdullah Hamad al Ali, first OOC Secretary-General Madny Sharif al Bakry, previous OOC Secretary-General Shaikh Ahmed bin Hashil al Maskari, former national long jump champion Mansoor al Toqi, former national 800m athlete Azzan al Laghbari, Hamood Suweidan al Hashmi, Asiad medallist Jehad Abdullah al Shaikh, former football star Ghulam Khamis, long-serving OAA board member Mohsin al Khusaibi and OAA technical adviser Ali Humeid al Saidi. The next day, the torch would begin a traditional dhow ride with three boats participating in the morning event, which will begin at the Marina Bander al Rowdha. The three boats — Masroor, Ibra and Lubna — will carry on board His Highnesses and virtually who is who of Oman sports. Masroor will carry the torch along with His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tareq al Said, His Highness Sayyid Hareb bin Thuwaini al Said, Shaikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, Rashad al Hinai, Shaikh Sabah al Saadi, Naif Obaid al Salami, Habib Abdulnabi Macki, Shaikh Soud al Rawahi, Ibrahim bin Ali Qamber and five representatives from Qatar besides a folk troupe. Ibra will have on board Shaikh Khalil bin Ahmed al Khalili, Mohammed Ilyas Faqir, Qais Alasfoor, selected scribes and five officials from the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (Dagoc). The boat will also have a pipe band entertaining the group while Lubna will have Mohammed bin Issa al Fairuz, Adil Assaid, Majid Alasfoor, Saleh Khalifa al Khusaibi, Abdullah al Farsi and Dagoc representatives on board. All the three boats will go for a cruise and cross the Al Bustan Palace Hotel and Barr al Jissah Resort before returning to Port Sultan Qaboos where the Coast Guard boats will welcome the three boats and entertain the crowd with huge water sprays across the sea. The official lighting of the torch will be done at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) under the auspices of the Sayyid Mutassim bin Hamoud al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Muscat at 3.00 pm in the presence of ministers and other dignitaries. At the SQSC, the organisers have appealed for the locals to turn up in large numbers to enjoy the evening, which would also have a motor show by Royal Guard of Oman, musical bands performances and camel show. The torch would then be carried to the Seeb roundabout by torchbearers by road. The torch would then travel to Sohar in a car cavalcade the same evening. The celebrations in Sohar would begin the next day (November 14) when the Wali of Sohar will light the torch amid the backdrop of the Sohar Fort. He would then hand it over to Oman's top horse rider His Highness Sayyid Loay bin Ghalib al Said, who along with more than a dozen horsemen, will carry the torch on the Sohar Corniche before handing over to a group of camel riders. The camel riders will hand over to torchbearers on foot at the end of the Corniche who will carry it to the Sohar roundabout to conclude the function. The Oman organising committee chief Shaikh Soud along with other senior officials will carry the torch by road to the Oman border of Al Wijaja to hand over the torch to the UAE officials the next morning. The torch will cross the UAE to Kuwait and then to Bahrain before reaching Qatar on November 25. The torch will cross the major towns of Qatar before reaching Doha on December 1 where the torch will light the cauldron built atop one of the tallest towers in Doha to officially open the 15th Asian Games.
(oman observer)
I wish they could manage to include as many ex-Omani stars as possible , so that they can feel that they r still remembered.