State Council looks for effective ways to engage sports clubs in local community

The State Council is looking to more effectively engage sports clubs in Oman with the community, after it approved a proposal put forward on sports club services.

This came at the State Council’s 16th regular session of the fourth annual term of the sixth period on Tuesday, where it also approved a proposal on the regulation of biotechnology usage.

The session, chaired by State Council Chairman Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri, was held in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Council, as well as council members.

Dr. Hamad bin Sulaiman Al Salmi, Social Committee Head, delivered a speech based on the committee report during the proposal discussion, titled “The reality of sports club services and ways to benefit from them to serve the community.”

He stressed the interest of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in promoting and developing Omani society across all fields, highlighting the special attention that His Majesty attaches to the interests of Omani youth.

Al Salmi revealed that the study served to examine the status of sports clubs, as well as their origin and the services they provide, in addition to their financial resources, infrastructure, administrative systems, asset investment and legislation.

He went on to say that the committee has come up with a series of initiatives so to help find ways for them to better serve the community.

In order to attain its goals, the committee has made several recommendations, which it hopes will serve the clubs efficiently, facilitating their work and enabling them to more effectively serve the community. Al Salmi concluded his speech by thanking the individuals and entities that participated in the study.

Khamis Said Saif Al Sulaimi, committee rapporteur, reviewed the most significant aspects highlighted by the study. These included the reason for the decline in the role played by clubs in accommodating various groups, the deficient services provided to the community by most sports clubs, the lack of resources that generate revenue for the clubs and the poor infrastructure of some clubs, the latter of which it claimed hinders the practice of various activities.

Al Sulaimi went on to say that the aim of the study was to identify the current state of clubs in the Sultanate, review their legislation and identify the challenges that prevent them from providing society with adequate services.

In addition, Dr. Al Sulaimi outlined the recommendations and suggestions presented to help the clubs improve their services.

After discussion, the council approved the formation of a technical drafting committee to include the opinions of the members.

The council then discussed the proposal of the ‘Promulgation of a law to regulate biotechnology usage, its products and the protection of genetic data in the Sultanate,’ submitted by the Special Committee.

Dr. Wafa Salim Ali Al Harrasy, Head of the Special Committee formed to study this particular topic, explained that the rapid and successive development of biotechnology and its widespread use by the government and private stakeholders in the Sultanate urgently requires legislation in order to regulate its use within a framework that supports and protects public interest.

She noted that there were several types of biotechnology, each of which possess different competencies. She said that the vast benefits of such biotechnology are accompanied by an enormous potential for misuse, as it starts to become used across all spheres of life.

The study recommended the need to bestow responsibility for the legislation and control of applications related to biotechnology, as well as the appointment of Omanis specialised in the various fields of biotechnology, onto a specific entity within the Sultanate.

Furthermore, it suggested that such an entity also work to increase public awareness pertaining to technology, biosafety and the risks of misuse.

A technical drafting committee was formed so for them to provide their opinions on the matter.

The State Council will hold its 17th Regular Session of the sixth Term on Wednesday, in which it will discuss the proposal of the “Framework and Determinants of the Public Debt Law,” submitted by the Economic Committee, as well as a reports on several other topics.