News & Event

The Ministry of Education, represented by the Omani School Sports Association, implemented the Omani Physical Activity Day event in various schools in the Sultanate of Oman yesterday (Monday). All categories of students, educational and administrative staff participated in celebrating the Omani Physical Activity Day, spreading awareness of physical culture, and the importance of Physical activity for different age groups, providing the educational field with the opportunity to practice their hobbies in an ideal atmosphere, and enhancing awareness among participants of the importance of physical activity at all levels.

The Omani Physical Activity Day event was implemented during the morning assembly and the first session of the school day, through a number of programs, radio, theatrical, and sports events that primarily targeted the awareness aspect of the importance of practicing physical activity in general, and sports activity in particular. Every school has the freedom to select and implement these programs and events according to available capabilities, considering security and safety factors during implementation.

Fahd bin Khalfan Al-Mashaikhi, Secretary-General of the Omani School Sports Association, said: “In the beginning, we must differentiate between the concept of physical activity and practicing sports. The concept of physical activity is a more comprehensive and general concept, as all the activities that an individual performs during the day, such as household chores, gardening, climbing stairs, and walking for shopping, and buying household needs are physical activities. The Omani Day for Physical Activity was approved in 2017 by the Council of Ministers, and is supervised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, and is implemented this year in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. By approving the implementation of this day during the morning assembly and the first session through a number of events and activities, the targets of this day are students, educational and administrative staff, and the purpose of the Ministry of Education’s participation is to spread the culture of practicing physical activity and movement, and staying away from inactivity and laziness, with the highest goal being combating chronic non-communicable diseases such as: heart disease, arterial diseases, respiratory system, weight gain, and other diseases.”

Tabuk School for Basic Education (5-13) in North Al Batinah Governorate organized a group of events and programs to celebrate the Omani Day of Physical Activity. The school sports committee in the governorate sought to spread the importance of awareness of practicing sports and considering it a lifestyle. The program began with a walking march inside the school campus, followed by a program Awareness radio broadcast and sports information on the importance of physical activity. Morning exercises were also a kind of warm-up to participate in various individual and group sports competitions (cones and hoops games, jumping games, agility, and flexibility), and the participation of special education students (audio integration) came to emphasize the importance of sports and the participation of all members of the school community. Community institutions played a role in spreading awareness about the importance of physical activity, as female students from the Oman College of Health Sciences participated with a lecture for school students about understanding the relationship between physical activity and the health of community members, and addressing the concept of physical activity, its benefits, and the challenges that prevent exercise, and ways to enhance physical activity.

Manbaa Al Khair School for Basic Education (3-5) in the South Al Sharqiyah Governorate carried out various activities on the occasion of the Omani Physical Activity Day, targeting the school community, including students, teachers, and workers. The sports competitions varied including athletic walking, exercises, theatrical sketches, sports performances, various competitions for male and female teachers. Al-Wafi Health Center was also hosted to give a lecture on the importance of physical activity, and the Legend Sports Hall at Al-Kamel and Al-Wafi Clubs was hosted to participate in the event.

The activities also varied at Masirah School for Basic Education (5-12) in the South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, where a school broadcast was presented that included the importance of physical activity in an individual’s life. A number of sports competitions were held, such as gymnastics display, tug-of-war between teachers and students, and basketball shooting between students. As part of this day’s activities, an awareness lecture was held entitled (My Health in My Sports).

The Omani Physical Activity Day aims to spread sports awareness directed towards the importance of physical activity, encourage the educational field to adopt the culture of physical activity in their daily behavior in appropriate ways, improve health indicators and general physical fitness among different age groups, and reduce the burdens and pressures of daily life in the educational field through practicing physical activity, promoting citizenship values, and societal responsibility.