MUSCAT: At the behest of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Eng. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, will preside tomorrow ‘Monday’ over the ceremony for announcing the results of His Majesty the Sultan’s Cup for Youth competition for the 2023-2024 sports season. Fifty clubs participated in the competition.

The competition aims to encourage clubs to adopt quality standards, governance, and best practices in planning, organization, and management. It also seeks to encourage clubs to diversify their income sources, such as through cultural, sports, and youth investment, alongside supporting promising athletes by providing a nurturing environment for them at various stages and broadening the base of sports practitioners. Additionally, it aims to raise awareness of the importance of the clubs’ role in society, youth care, and volunteer work, and to support clubs in providing cultural, sports, and youth environments that are supportive of the community.

This year will see the implementation of the competition’s new framework, which divides its awards into two categories. The first category is for the top five positions, which are for competitive activities and are awarded to the clubs that have achieved the highest scores in the competition’s awards—these are the same clubs that attained the highest levels across the various competition criteria. These clubs will not be included in the competitions for the encouragement awards for the strategic pillars.

The second awards category will felicitate four clubs according to the pillars of Oman Sport Strategy’s activities. One club that has achieved the highest score in each of the strategy’s pillars will be awarded. These pillars are: the governance of sports bodies and raising their performance levels; sustainable environment; economy and development; and cultural, sports, and youth activities.