Oman Golf Trophy closes in spectacular fashion

The Oman Golf Trophy concluded at the Royal Opera House in Muscat this evening at a ceremony with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Mohammed Alwahaibi, as the guest of honour.

Undersecretary Alwahaibi presented the trophy for the women’s title to Barbara Morati and the trophy for the men’s title to Enrico Bardazzi.

The Italian leg of the Oman Golf Trophy was played on seven of the most prestigious courses in Italy between September and November 2022. At this week’s finale at Al Mouj Golf in Muscat, 14 of the qualifying winners from the Italian leg competed head-to-head for the title.

The Oman Golf Trophy, a unique golf diplomacy initiative, aims to promote investment and tourism opportunities in Oman in line with Oman Vision 2040.

The Sultanate aims to use golf as an ambassador to highlight the natural beauty of the country for travellers. The Sultanate also hopes to strengthen diplomatic ties between Oman and Italy with such people-to-people initiatives.

The Trophy invites Italians and Europeans to discover Oman’s exclusive tourism experiences and rich business opportunities.

It is a unique public private partnership. Stewarded by the Oman Golf Association, it brings together the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth as well the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Heritage & Tourism and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Investment Promotion as well as some of the most well-known private groups in the country including Daud Group, Oman Air, OHI, The Zubair Corporation, Al Mouj Muscat and Kempinski Hotel Muscat.

Speaking by video message Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said: “Oman is known as a land of peace and neutrality, principles which align closely with the spirit of sportsmanship. But we always consider it the highest compliment when told that we are also known for our hospitality.”

“Our culture has been enriched by centuries of engagement with people from around the globe. This tournament has, without a doubt, provided an invaluable opportunity for such engagement. We hope the intersection of business and leisure, and Oman’s sport and adventure portfolio, has helped to further promote our trade and investment relations, as well as people to people connections.”

Click here to see Sayyid Badr's video message in full.

Speaking after the Oman Golf Trophy grand finale at Al Mouj Golf, Basil Al Rawas, Undersecretary for Sports and Youth at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, said “After successfully hosting the grand finale, we look forward to rolling out similar events through different sports, in order to promote the Sultanate, alongside our international partners and supported jointly by the public and private sectors.”

Ali Daud, CEO of Daud Group, said: “I found it exciting working with the different government and private sector entities over the past eighteen months to put together the Oman Golf Trophy in Italy and now, in Oman.

“Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr has certainly blazed a trail; this has been without a doubt pioneering work, that has laid a solid foundation for how national promotion initiatives should be managed and executed moving forward, as a joint effort and a partnership between the government and the private sector.”

For more information about Al Mouj Golf click here.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.