Saturday 23 / May / 2026
MUSCAT: The curtains fell on the fourth GCC Games in Doha on Friday with Oman delivering another competitive showing, finishing with 29 medals across six sports.
Competing against the region’s five other nations over 11 days in the Qatari capital, Oman concluded the Games with 10 gold, four silver and 15 bronze medals to finish sixth overall in the final standings.
Although the tally fell short of the 32 medals achieved at the previous edition in Kuwait (2022), Oman’s performances once again underlined the growing strength in individual sports—particularly athletics, shooting, fencing and taekwondo—which continue to form the backbone of their success.
Athletics proved the driving force behind Oman’s campaign, contributing 11 medals, including seven golds, to account for more than a third of the nation’s overall haul.
The track and field team showcased impressive depth, highlighting the progress being made within Oman’s athletics programme.
At the centre of that success was Ali Anwar Al Balushi, who emerged as one of the stars of the Games after winning gold in both the 100m and 200m events before helping Oman secure another gold in the 4x100m relay. His sprint double effectively crowned him the fastest man in Gulf athletics and provided one of the defining moments of Oman’s campaign.
The team also celebrated gold medals through Mazoon Al Alawi (women’s long jump), Salem Al Ya’arubi (men’s long jump) Fatik Beit Jaaboub (men’s high jump), and Alia Al Mughairi (women’s high jump) while other team-mates added valuable silver and bronze medals across several disciplines. Mazoon’s national-record performance in the long jump further highlighted the growing technical quality within the team.
Shooting continued its steady rise as another key medal contributor, with Oman collecting six medals in rifle and pistol competitions, which included two silver medals and four bronze.
Fencing also delivered a memorable campaign thanks to Israa Al Siyabi, who captured two gold medals in the foil and épée categories to confirm her status among the region’s elite fencers.
Taekwondo added five more medals, including gold for Fidaa Al Barwani in the women’s 49kg category.
In team sports, Oman’s volleyball team finished with bronze after defeating the UAE in the third-place playoff, while the snooker team also added a bronze medal to the national tally.
Oman participated in a total of 11 sports, including aquatics, athletics, shooting, volleyball, fencing, taekwondo, karate, bowling, table tennis, basketball 3x3 and snooker, reflecting the Oman Olympic Committee’s wider push to expand participation and competitive exposure at the Gulf level.
Hosts Qatar dominated the final standings with a record-breaking haul of 134 medals—48 gold, 50 silver and 36 bronze—marking their best-ever performance in GCC Games history.
Saudi Arabia finished second with 82 medals (32 gold, 27 silver and 23 bronze), while Bahrain secured third place with 63 medals (25 gold, 22 silver and 16 bronze). Kuwait claimed fourth with 60 medals overall (14 gold, 17 silver and 29 bronze) while the United Arab Emirates finished fifth after collecting 66 medals — 13 gold, 19 silver and 34 bronze.
