News

Mbappe Enjoys Real Madrid European Debut in Victory over StuttgartMadrid, 18 Sep (ONA) ---Stuttgart couldn't have wished for a more challenging return to the UEFA Champions League, being drawn to play away to the defending Champions, Real Madrid, yet their task was made even more gargantuan with the inclusion of Kylian Mbappe, who opened the scoring in what was a 3-1 victory.The French international was making his European bow at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, with fans having only previously seen him grace the famous stage in the competition with Paris Saint-Germain. Expectation is high ...

Oman Shooting Association Holds Annual MeetingMuscat, 16 Sep (ONA) —— The Board of Oman Shooting Association today held its annual meeting at the olympic shooting complex in Muscat under the chairmanship of Vice Admiral Abdullah Khamis Al Raisi, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, Board Chairman of Oman Shooting Association.The meeting discussed a set of topics, including the training plan for the national and military shooting team, the Olympic shooting complex and flying target shooting ranges, and private Olympic shooting clubs.In addition, it reviewed the annual plan for ...

Argentina and Brazil Both Lose as World Cup Qualifying Hots upBogota, 11 Sep (ONA) —- Argentina and Brazil, without injured stars Lionel Messi and Neymar, both lost in 2026 World Cup qualifying. While world champions Argentina still top South American qualifying for the 2026 tournament despite their 2-1 defeat against Colombia, record winners Brazil are in crisis after their 1-0 loss in Paraguay. Brazil have suffered four defeats in five World Cup qualifying matches and sit fifth. The top six nations in the 10-team group qualify for the expanded ...

Oman Table Tennis Association Elects New Board of DirectorsMuscat, September 10 (ONA) --- The general assembly of the Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) today elected Abdullah Mohammed Bamkhalif as Chairman of the OTTA Board for the period 2024/2028 by acclamation.The election was held with the participation of 7 member-clubs that have a right to attend the meeting and vote.OTTA general assembly also nominated Sajjad Mohammed Baqir to the position of Deputy Chairman and Samira Shaneen Al Shukaili to “women’s mandatory seat”.Majid Marhoon Al Alawi and Mohammed Hamid Al Jassasi ...

Oman Participates in Olympic Council of Asia's General Assembly Meeting in India New Delhi, 9 Sep (ONA) --- Represented by Oman Olympic Committee, the Sultanate of Oman took part in the 44th general assembly meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), held in New Delhi today. The meeting was attended by representatives of 45 national Olympic committees in the Asian continent affiliated to the OCA. During the meeting, Randhir Singh was announced as the President of the Olympic Council of Asia — being the only candidate who contested the position. The OCA general assembly ...

Oman Basketball Association Elects New Board of Directors Muscat, 8 Sep (ONA) --- The general assembly of Oman Basketball Association (OBA) today elected Eng. Khalfan Saleh Al Naabi as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Basketball Association 2024-2028 after he earned 6 votes out of the total number of candidates who contested the position of OBA Chairman. The election was held with the participation of 9 clubs comprising general assembly members eligible to attend the meeting and vote. Abu Bakr Ahmed Al Jahwari won the position of Deputy Chairman, while the following ...

Bahrain Frustrate 10-man Australia in Horror Start to World Cup Qualifier Round Gold Coast, Australia, 5 Sep (ONA) --- A 10-man Socceroos outfit has suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Bahrain on the Gold Coast, Australia in a disastrous setback to their hopes of direct FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification. Striker Kusini Yengi was red-carded for a high challenge. Then, the Socceroos were red-faced by an 89th-minute own goal, against the run of play, as Bahrain frustrated their way to a maiden win over Australia. The loss, in the side’s first game on the Gold Coast, is a ...

Palestinians to Face South Korea to Start 3rd Round of World Cup Qualifying Kuala Lumpur, 4 Sep (ONA) --- The Palestinian team is closer to the World Cup than ever after reaching the third round of qualifying in Asia as one of the top 18 on the continent. The next phase starts with one of the toughest possible football assignments in Asia, with the Palestinians taking on South Korea in front of 66,000 fans in Seoul tomorrow (Thursday). The South Koreans have qualified for the past 10 World Cup tournaments, and were semi-finalists in 2002. The top two from each of ...

OHA Outlines First Edition of Oman Open Hockey 5-Asides ChampionshipsMuscat, 2 Sep (ONA) --- Oman Hockey Association (OHA) today announced details of the First Edition of Oman Open Hockey Five-a-Asides (Hockey5s) Championships Schedule.The tournament, to be held from 8 to 11 September, will see the participation of 8 teams: Those of the Royal Army of Oman, the Royal Guard of Oman, the Royal Navy of Oman, Al Fayhaa Establishment, Security and Safety Corporation, Jindal Shadeed Company, Badr Al Samaa Group and FAB Company.The tournament’s schedule was unveiled during the press ...

Diaz Double Helps Liverpool to Thumping Win at Man United Manchester, 2 Sep (ONA) --- Liverpool maintained their flawless start under new manager Arne Slot as they outclassed woeful Manchester United at Old Trafford. The visitors were on a different level to United in a win so comprehensive that it will bring renewed scrutiny on Slot's fellow Dutchman Erik ten Hag, who survived a summer review to win a new contract following last season's FA Cup win. Liverpool have barely missed a beat since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp, recording three straight English ...

Mbappe Opens his LaLiga Account and Leads Real Madrid Past Real Betis Madrid, 2 Sep (ONA) --- Kylian Mbappe put his early LaLiga struggles behind him, firing home a brace to lead Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Real Betis. Although the Frenchman scored his first goal for Los Blancos during the club's UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta, things hadn't gone to plan domestically so far. With no goals to his name, and Real Madrid winning just one of their opening three matches, the pressure was on heading into the match at the Bernabeu. It increased after a first ...

Aston Villa Survive Leicester Fightback to Edge Narrow Win in EPL Leicester, 1 Sep (ONA) --- Aston Villa survived a second-half Leicester fightback as Unai Emery’s side held on for a narrow victory at King Power Stadium. The visitors dominated the opening stages and took a deserved lead shortly before the half-hour mark when Amadou Onana finished off a well-rehearsed free-kick routine involving Youri Tielemans and Jacob Ramsey. Leicester improved after the break, but Villa doubled their advantage when Jhon Duran – who had only just come on for Ollie Watkins ...

Barcelona Run Riot and Hit Real Valladolid for Seven Barcelona, 1 Sep (ONA) --- Barcelona were insatiable in front of goal as they sent Real Valladolid packing from Catalonia having suffered a 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Raphinha, Dani Olmo and company. Raphinha bagged a hat-trick for himself, while new signing Dani Olmo was again on target for the Catalans as well, alongside Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Ferran Torres. It took 20 minutes for the hosts to find the breakthrough on Matchday 4, with Raphinha getting in behind the visitors' backline and ...

Oman National Paralympic Team Participates in Paris GamesParis, 29 Aug (ONA) --- Oman national paralympic team is taking part in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which kicked off at the Place de la Concorde on 28 August and will run until 8 September.As many as 4,400 athletes from 168 countries are contesting the tournament’s 22 sports. The Omani Paralympic Committee (at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth) is participating with two players. They are Mohammed Al Mashaykhi and Sarah Al Anbouri, who will both compete in the shot put event.Mohammed and Sarah will join the shot put ...

Gundogan Ends His International Career with German Football Team Berlin, 20 Aug (ONA) --- Ilkay Gundogan, captain of the German national football team, has announced his retirement from international football and his absence from the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.Gundogan decided to end his football career with the German national team, which he began with his first appearance in 2011.Gundogan participated in 82 matches with the German national team, and led his country in the last European Nations Championship (Euro 2024) in Germany ...

West Ham Sign Man Utd Defender Wan-Bissaka London, 13 Aug (ONA) --- West Ham United have signed defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United for £15m. The 26-year-old has penned a seven-year deal with the Hammers. Wan-Bissaka left Crystal Palace for Manchester United in a £50m move in 2019 and scored two goals in 190 appearances for the Red Devils. The defender is West Ham's eighth signing of the summer, joining Jean-Clair Todibo, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme, Niclas Fullkrug, Wes Foderingham, Max Kilman and Guido Rodriguez in moving to ...

Atletico Madrid Sign Alvarez from Man City Madrid, 12 Aug (ONA) --- Atletico Madrid have completed the £81.5m signing of Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez on a six-year deal. Diego Simeone's Spanish side will pay an initial £64.4m (75m euros) with a further £17.1m (20m euros) in potential add-ons for the Argentina striker, BBC sports reported. The 24-year-old's departure is a record sale for City, eclipsing the £50m they received from Chelsea for Raheem Sterling in 2022. They paid Argentine side River Plate £14.1m for Alvarez in January 2022. ...

Chelsea Sign Boca Juniors Defender Anselmino London, 8 Aug (ONA) --- Chelsea have completed the signing of Boca Juniors defender Aaron Anselmino in a £15.6m deal. The 19-year-old has signed a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge, but will remain on loan at the Argentine club for the 2024-25 season as part of the agreement, BBC sports reported. He made his debut for Boca in June 2023 and has made 10 appearances in total. Anselmino signed a contract extension in January 2024 that tied him to the club until 2028. Chelsea have been active in the transfer ...

RB Leipzig Win Race to re-sign Xavi SimonsLeipzig, 5 Aug (ONA) --- Netherlands playmaker Xavi Simons has re-joined RB Leipzig on loan from Paris Saint-Germain for a second season, the German Bundesliga club said today. The 21-year-old was a big hit for Leipzig last term, scoring 10 goals and providing 15 assists which helped him become a regular Dutch starter. "Xavi and RB Leipzig - it was a perfect match right from the start. He has quickly developed into a key player and one of the best players in the Bundesliga. Xavi has shown in many games and ...

Italian Defence Player Calafiori Signs for ArsenalLondon, 30 Jul (ONA) - Arsenal announced the signing of Italy international Riccardo Calafiori from Serie A side Bologna on a long-term contract."The 22-year-old defender was a member of the Azzurri squad at Euro 2024, after a season full of impressive performances at the heart of Bologna's defence," Arsenal said in a statement. Riccardo started his career in the youth academy at Roma, where he spent 12 years developing from the youth set-up into the first-team. During his time there, he gained valuable experience on loan at fellow ...

Paris Olympics Sees New Record Breaking in 400m Individual Medley Competition Paris, 28 Jul (ONA) --- France's Leon Marchand set a new Olympic record to dominate the 400m individual medley and win gold at his home Games. He finished in 4:02.95min, just outside his own world record time, but beat the Olympic best, previously set by US Michael Phelps at the Beijing Games in 2008. The silver medal was won by Japan's T. Matsushita (4:08.62min) and the bronze medal went to US Carson Foster (4:08.66min) Meanwhile, Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy swam the race of his life to claim the ...

China's Xie Wins Men's 10m Air Pistol, Korean Oh Takes Women's Gold Paris, 28 Jul (ONA) ---- China's Xie Yu held his nerve to seize Olympic gold in the men's 10 metre air pistol competition after edging out two Italians today.On her turn, South Korea's Oh Ye Jin, 19, won gold with an Olympic record 243.2 points on her Games debut ahead of compatriot Kim Ye Ji and India's Manu Bhaker.The 24-year-old Xie, also in his first Games, amassed 240.9 as Federico Nilo Maldini shot 240.0 for silver.European champion Paolo Monna took bronze at the French national shooting centre in Chateauroux, ...

Oman Looks Forward to Successful in Paris Olympics Paris, 24 Jul (ONA) --- Khalid Mohammed Al Zubair, Chairman of Oman Olympic Committee (OOC), Head of the Omani delegation taking part in the Summer Olympics (Paris 2024), has said that Oman’s participation in the current edition of the Olympics is in pursuance of engagements in Olympic events that began since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Al Zubair voiced OOC’s determination to promote Oman’s presence in this important global Olympic games. The official opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 will be held on 26 July 2024 at the ...

2030 Winter Games set for France, 2034 in US Salt Lake City Paris, 24 Jul (ONA) ---- The 2030 Winter Olympics are set to be held in the French Alps pending certain conditions while the 2034 edition will be hosted by Salt Lake City in the US after a vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Paris today.Controversy around both bids meant a handful of IOC members voted against the candidatures despite no other bids being on the table.The International Olympic Committee’s executive board had already recommended the two bids as hosts back in June but the full meeting ...

Royal Cavalry Wins 2nd Place at British Open Polo ChampionshipLondon, 21 Jul (ONA) --- Oman’s Royal Cavalry team won second place at the British Open Polo Championship, held at the stadium of the Aspect Knepp Castle Polo Club.The champion saw four teams, including Royal Cavalry, vying for the precious trophy. The three other competitors were the teams of the English Aspect Polo Club, the Irish Polo Club and the Czech Republic Polo Club.The final match brought together the teams of the Royal Cavalry and the Irish Club. The latter club scored five goals, against three for the Royal Cavalry. ...

Marseille Close in Deal for Tottenham's Hojbjerg Paris, 21 Jul (ONA) --- French club Marseille are in advanced talks to sign Tottenham and Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The 28-year-old is believed to be ready to leave north London and is available for about £17 million, BBC sports reported. Discussions are continuing over payment terms, but both sides expect the deal to go through. Hojbjerg joined Spurs in 2020 in a £15m deal from Southampton, when Jose Mourinho was in charge. The midfielder made 39 appearances for the club last season but ...

Oman Olympic Committee Outlines Programme for Participation in Paris 2024 OlympicsMuscat, 18 Jul (ONA) --- Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) today outlined details of the official participation of the Sultanate of Oman’s delegation in the 33rd edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 which will begin on 26 July and continue until 11 August 2024.Oman’s delegation comprises four athletes: marksman Said Al Khatri (sharpshooting), sprinters Ali Al Balushi and Muzoon Al Alawi (athletics) and swimmer Issa Al Adawi (water sports).The Sultanate of Oman’s delegation to this global Olympic ...

Kylian Mbappé Presented as Real Madrid Player Madrid, 16 Jul (ONA) --- Kylian Mbappé finally put on a Real Madrid jersey, fulfilling his childhood dream in front of a packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium today. Nearly 80,000 fans were in hand at the Bernabeu to welcome the 25-year-old France star during his official presentation as the club's newest player, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported. After signing his five-year contract with the Spanish powerhouse alongside club president Florentino Pérez, Mbappé entered the stage set up at the Bernabeu to loud cheers by ...

Thomas Müller Retires from International FootballBerlin, 15 Jul (ONA) --- Germany's 2014 world champion Thomas Müller is retiring from international football, he said in a video posted on social media today. "After almost 14 years and 131 international games, I have decided to end my career at the Germany national team," the Bayern Munich midfielder said. The announcement comes one day after the end of the Euro 2024 in Germany, which was Müller's last tournament for the national team. Hosts Germany were eliminated by champions Spain in the quarter-finals. ...

Argentina Clinches Copa America Title with extra-time Victory over Colombia Florida, 15 Jul (ONA) --- Argentina claimed the 2024 Copa América championship by defeating Colombia 1-0, thanks to an extra-time goal. The match remained goalless until Lautaro Martinez scored in the 112th minute, sealing Argentina's victory. Martinez, who finished as the tournament's leading scorer with five goals, netted the winner following a turnover that led to a breakaway. His shot flew past Colombia's goalkeeper, Camilo Vargas, ensuring Argentina's triumph, the Spanish MARCA newspaper ...