MUSCAT, October 24: Overwhelmed by the support extended by the Sultanate of Oman and it’s Ministry of Sports Affairs to host the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018, the Asian Hockey Federation on Tuesday announced it’s decision to showcase their gratitude by naming His Excellency Sheikh Sa’ad bin Mohammed bin Said al Mardhouf al Sa’adi for the President Award, a special recognition.
Addressing the media gathering at the iconic Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Dato Tayyab Ikram, Chief Executive of AHF, said, “I am stating only the reflection of our executive board today that we have decided to honor a personality in Oman with the President Award from the Asian Hockey Federation. We are humbled to name His Excellency Sheikh Sa’ad bin Mohammed bin Said al Mardhouf al Sa’adi, Minister of Sports Affairs, Sultanate of Oman, for this prestigious award and we request the honor of his presence to receive the award on 26 October, Friday, at the Gala Dinner.”
Expressing his appreciation for transforming Muscat to a world-class venue for hockey, Dato Tayyab Ikram said, “I convey AHF’s deep appreciation and gratitude to Oman Hockey Association for hosting this marquee event and making it possible in transforming Muscat as a venue for a professional, world-class hockey. The teams are very happy with the facilities. We brought this event here with the consent of our two main stakeholders – the Hero Motocorp, title sponsor and Star Sports, the official broadcasters, who have had a major role to play in showcasing hockey in this region to the world.”
Oman Hockey Association, Chairman and President, Captain Talib al Wahaibi said, “We are extremely grateful to the AHF for giving us the honor of hosting the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018. I can say, we are only learning and there are corrections to be made in order to upscale future events. Our primary motive was to give the people of Oman, which has a lot of people from Pakistan and India, an opportunity to witness world-class hockey which I am sure several hundred have enjoyed over the past week. As Dato Tayyab Ikram mentioned at the start of the tournament that this is a messenger of peace.”
