Oman: An Emerging Sport Nation, History and Future Directions

This study highlights the Omani sport history, which has never been attempted before, and it offers a critical review of the current situation and organizational structure of sport in Oman. This will lead to an acknowledgement of the multiple problems faced in terms of sport development. Oman is an Arabic, Islamic and developing country; its unique make-up, socially, historically, politically, religiously and culturally have meant Oman is a late-comer to the field of sport. Identifying the historical, social and cultural issues affecting sport system and the upgrading of sports development work in a country like Oman, is the first step to developing positive proposals and solutions to address the many challenges. Interviews, document analysis and field journal notes (FJN) were used to gather the required data about the history and the current sport situation in Oman. Results show that while there is a history of sport and recreation activities in Oman, there is much less of a history of organized sport. In addition, there are many challenges to be overcome if a sport system is to become a reality in the professionalization of sport in the future of the country.