OSA mission: Direct berth for Issa al Adawi at Tokyo Olympics
Date
10/18/2016 2:18:24 AM
Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan is one of the world's leading centres for swimming, and has stood out lately for the exploits of three of its students at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It's at this university that Oman's top swimmer Issa al Adawi is now aiming to enrol himself for the next four years after the Oman Swimming Association (OSA) signed a deal with the Japan Swimming Federation (JSF) to help the 17 year old Omani qualify for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. Confirming that an agreement has been made to send Issa to Tokyo on a full scholarship, Taha al Kishry, the OSA chairman, said, 'The priority of the association is to groom Issa into a top-class swimmer. 'We have signed a deal with the JSF to provide him world-class training at their top university for the next four years. The arrangement would develop Issa on the academic and sports front. Our goal is to have him qualify directly for the 2020 Olympics.'
L-R: Qais al Zakwani, Taha al Kishry and Abdulmoneim al Alawi on Monday
The JSF has offered options for Issa to enrol in Waseda University, University of Tsukuba, University of Tokyo and Osaka University. Issa, however, is learnt to be keen on opting for Waseda. The reason is quite obvious, with the Japanese swimming trio of Daiya Seto, Masato Sakai and Ippei Watanabe - who produced sterling performances in Rio - all hail from Waseda. Sakai claimed the silver in the men's 200m butterfly, and Seto won the bronze in the men's individual medley and finished fifth in men's 200m butterfly. Watanabe finished sixth in the men's 200m breaststroke after setting an Olympic record in the semifinal. A total of 19 athletes from Waseda took part in Rio, with eight competing in swimming and the rest in water polo. Kishry, who was recently elected unanimously as the Asian Swimming Federation (AASF) secretary-general, said that 'being the Asian body official, and with the AASF headquarters based out of Muscat, they have definitely played a role in the signing of the deal'. 'For Issa to rub shoulders with Olympic champions, it will be a great learning experience, and we hope that after four years of hard work, he can gain a direct berth at the Tokyo Games,' said Kishry. The OSA chief, who is seeking another term in the forthcoming elections, highlighted the achievements made by the national association over the past four years. 800 swimmers Kishry said, 'As part of our development programme over the past four years, we have 800 registered swimmers in Oman who are training at the six regional centres in Musandam, Buraimi, Nizwa, Salalah, Sohar and Muscat. 'We now wish to focus on raising their standards. The best among them will be selected and moved to clubs near their respective centres. From the clubs, our national team coaches and scouts would spot the talented ones and nurture them.' Qais al Zakwani, the OSA secretary-general, said, 'The OSA's close relationship with the Ministry of Higher Education has helped the swimmers gain entry into leading colleges providing allround development of the swimmers.' Abdulmoneim al Alawi, a senior OSA board member and chairman of the referees panel, said that a total of 12 referees from Oman gained FINA badges, while six others received Asian body refereeing badges. Omani referee Hilal al Taghari has been nominated to officiate at the Asian Championships in Tokyo in December. Achievements galore The Kishry-led OSA board lauded the achievements of the swimmers, starting with 2013 till now, that included numerous medals at the GCC and Asian Championships. The national swimmers over the past four years have bagged more than a hundred medals, with Issa and Abdulrehman al Kulaibi winning the most. The open water swimmers also brought laurels for Oman, with long-distance swimmer Mohammed al Habsi featuring as a standout performer.
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