Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan shuttlers dominate at West Asia Junior Badminton Championship

Muscat: The West Asia Junior Badminton Championship, hosted at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, came to an exciting close on Saturday evening with stellar performances from Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan players, who dominated various categories.

In the U-15 men’s singles final, Saudi Arabia's Rayan Al Mukhaimer secured the title with a commanding 2-0 victory over Syria’s Mohammed Al Rifai.

The U-15 women’s singles saw an all-Syrian face-off, with Mayas Qabbani defeating her teammate Leen Shakerdi 2-0.

Organised by the Oman Racket Sports Committee (ORSC) in collaboration with Asia Badminton, the championship featured high-energy action over six days.

A total of 58 athletes from eight West Asian countries  - Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, and host nation Oman  - competed in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles across U-15 and U-17 categories.

The awards ceremony was presided over by Ahmed Al Dheeb, Deputy Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, and Abdul Rahim Musallam Al Daroushi, ORSC chairman.

In the U-15 men’s doubles, Syria’s Mohammed Al Rifai and Abdulrahman Al Qabbani clinched gold after defeating Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al Mueed and Rayan Al Mukhaini 2-0.

The women’s devent saw Syria’s Mayas Qabbani and Leen Shakerdi outperform Saudi Arabia’s Batool Al Mutair and Mai Al Mutairi in another 2-0 win.

Saudi Arabia continued their dominance in the mixed doubles, where Rayan Al Mukhaimer teamed up with Batool Al Mutairi to claim victory, defeating Syria’s Mohammed Al Rifai and Mayas Qabbani 2-0.

In the U-17 category, Jordan took centre stage.

Ismail Omar of Jordan captured the men’s singles title, beating Syria’s Shadi Al Ansari. Jordan’s Maria Abu Arrah triumphed in the women’s singles after a strong 2-0 win over Syria’s Jannah Aseela.

Saudi Arabia’s Al Watheq Al Obaidi and Abdulaziz Al Maqhawi secured the U-17 men’s doubles title by overcoming Iraq’s Yahya Al Humairi and Rami Salah, while Jordan’s Maria Abu Arrah and Jannah Aseela took home the women’s doubles crown, defeating Saudi Arabia’s Saba Al Harthi and Ghram Al Rushedi.