In an official signing ceremony held at Ghala Golf Club, Sohar Aluminium have further confirmed their support of golf in Oman by becoming a partner of the Oman Golf Association (OGA). The partnership agreement was signed by Mundhir Al Barwani, Chairman of the OGA and Eng. Said Al Masoudi, Chief Executive Office of Sohar Aluminium.
Over the last 18 months COVID-19 has had a significant impact on sporting activities worldwide and golf in Oman was no different. However, as the domestic and global situation slowly improves the Oman Golf Association looks forward to resuming its activities and is pleased to have Sohar Aluminium as an official partner for the season ahead.
Established in 2009 by the Ministry of Sports Affairs, the Oman Golf Committee was formed to grow and govern the sport of golf in the Sultanate, their efforts and progress were formally recognised in 2020 when the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth announced the formation of the Oman Golf Association. The aims of the Oman Golf Association are to increase participation and awareness in an inclusive way, to develop elite Omani talent, and to use the sport of golf to promote tourism and investment and in doing so provide more employment opportunities.
One of the key platforms in achieving these objectives is the Oman Open which the OGA has been the promoter of since 2019. The $1.75 million event is played annually at Al Mouj Golf and forms part of the European Tour. In 2020 the field of 144 players included 10 of the World’s top 100 Professional golfers and the stunning Sultanate was broadcast to over 300 million households worldwide with a total of over 2000 hours of television footage.
“Sohar Aluminium have been a long-term sponsor of the Oman Open and we are delighted that they have now come on board as a partner of the OGA to support our activities throughout the year” said Mundhir Al Barwani. “Through their support we will be able to deliver a wide range of activities ranging from introducing the game to complete newcomers at grassroots level through to further developing our elite amateur athletes to represent the Sultanate by competing in regional and international tournaments. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and to His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tarik Al Said for their unlimited support and guidance."
At the signing ceremony, Eng. Said Al Masoudi, commented: “We are pleased to have entered this long-term partnership with Oman Golf Association which further cements our commitment towards the growth and sustainability of golf in Oman. We hope that this will have a clear and direct impact and contribute to achieving the objectives of the OGA to increase awareness and participation of golf to the domestic and international markets and ensure that this sport is used to promote the general interests of the Sultanate, both locally and globally.”
Some of the OGA’s activities that will be supported through the partnership with Sohar Aluminium include GOladies, which is an introductory programme targeted at Omani women and girls, GOjuniors which provides a series of competitions for youngsters to develop their skills and build friendships, and the further development of the Oman National Teams who represent the Sultanate in tournaments at home and abroad in men’s, ladies and under 13, 15 and 18 categories.
Jamie Wood, Technical Director for the Oman Golf Association added “We are very excited about forming a partnership with Sohar Aluminium as not only will it allow us to further grow the game in the Sultanate, but it also gives us access to a wealth of experience and knowledge that exists within their organisation. Much of the OGA’s strategy was developed around Oman Vision 2040 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, both of which Sohar Aluminium fully embrace in their own strategy. Through this partnership we truly believe that golf can have an increasingly positive impact on the Sultanate of Oman in a sustainable way."