Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04MUSCAT2143
2004-12-08 13:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Muscat
Cable title:  

ECA CULTURAL ENVOYS HAVE A BALL IN OMAN

Tags:  KPAO OEXC SCUL SOCI MU 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 002143 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR ECA (PHARRISON, JSUPPLEE, BOLLISON),ECA/PE/C/CU
(DSCHUMAN),NEA/ARP (TROBERTS),NEA/P (FFINVER),NEA/PPD (MQUINN,
CWHITTLESEY, PAGNEW)

PLEASE PASS TO PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL SOCI MU
SUBJECT: ECA CULTURAL ENVOYS HAVE A BALL IN OMAN

-------
Summary
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 002143

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR ECA (PHARRISON, JSUPPLEE, BOLLISON),ECA/PE/C/CU
(DSCHUMAN),NEA/ARP (TROBERTS),NEA/P (FFINVER),NEA/PPD (MQUINN,
CWHITTLESEY, PAGNEW)

PLEASE PASS TO PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL SOCI MU
SUBJECT: ECA CULTURAL ENVOYS HAVE A BALL IN OMAN

--------------
Summary
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1. ECA Cultural Envoys Omari Faulkner and Courtland Freeman
engaged a wide range of Omani basketball players, coaches, and
students during their highly successful four-day visit to the
Sultanate. Welcomed by dignitaries including the newly appointed
Minister of Sports Affairs, the duo established immediate and
positive connections with audiences of different ages and
backgrounds, while garnering extensive and positive press
coverage, particularly in the Arabic press. End summary.

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A Hit Right From The Opening Tip
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2. From November 21-25, 2004, recent Georgetown University
graduates and current ECA Cultural Envoys Omari Faulkner and
Courtland Freeman conducted a series of basketball clinics and
workshops for players and coaches during their visit to the
Sultanate of Oman. The visit tipped off with a two-day session
at the Bausher Club, an up-and-coming athletic association in
Muscat. During the opening ceremony, which was attended by the
Minister of Sports Affairs H.E. Ali al-Sunaidi as well as the
President of the Bausher Club and other dignitaries, the
Ambassador delivered remarks highlighting the on-court skills and
off-court academic achievement and service of the Cultural
Envoys. After the opening ceremony, Mr. Faulkner and Mr. Freeman
discussed with coaches and players the advantages and
disadvantages of certain defensive and offensive set plays. This
was followed by a lively Q&A session that focused on identifying
strategies for developing successful basketball teams. Later
that day, the Envoys conducted a basketball clinic for Bausher
Club players; the clinic, which was scheduled for 90 minutes,
continued for over three hours because of high demand. Ten Omani
girls participated in the basketball drills, an all-too rare
sight in a country where the sexes are typically separated during
sporting activities.

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In The Zone
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3. The next morning, the Envoys were treated to a tour of the
Muscat capital region, courtesy of Bausher Club officials. The

tour included a visit to Muscat's Mutrah souq, the Bait al-Zubair
Museum, and a windshield tour of the Bausher district. That
afternoon, the Envoys again directed a series of drills and
clinics for young Bausher Club members. Excitement built
throughout the day as club players awaited a demonstration game
at the nearby Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, requested
spontaneously by the Minister of Sports Affairs the previous day.
Mr. Faulkner and Mr. Freeman played for the Bausher Club team
against the Muscat Stars, a team made up of players from Oman's
national squad. (The Muscat Stars won 64-59.) After the
spirited game, the Bausher Club and the Oman Basketball
Association presented the Envoys with trophies and traditional
Omani khanjars (ceremonial daggers).

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Fast Break
--------------


4. The program continued with a journey to the city of Al-
Buraimi, about 350 km. northwest of Muscat on the border with the
UAE. The Cultural Envoys visited Al-Buraimi College, the site of
one of Oman's five American Corners, met with the president of
the college, and toured the facility. Afterwards the Envoys and
a busload of Al-Buraimi college students traveled to a nearby
junior high school where the players held a basketball clinic for
forty college and junior high students. An audience of over two
hundred students observed the clinic. Although female students
in this provincial town were reluctant to participate in the
workshop, they eagerly joined the boys in requesting autographs
from the Cultural Envoys.

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Iraq Bounces In
--------------


5. In many ways the most rewarding portion of the Cultural
Envoys' trip to Oman was their visit to Al-Buraimi. The visit
was a big event for the city, as young people from all over town
came to the workshop to meet the players. For many of them this
was the first time they had met Americans. During the workshop,
the PAO was introduced to the dean of Al-Buraimi College and a
young student, both of whom are Iraqis from Fallujah. After
exchanging pleasantries, they said, "We disagree with what you
Americans are doing in Fallujah, but we respect you for bringing
high level U.S. athletes to Al-Buraimi. Most embassies focus on
Muscat and ignore other towns." This encounter speaks volumes
about the effectiveness of the Cultural Envoy program as a tool
to promote positive public attitudes toward American society and
values, and to reinforce the Embassy's ties with contacts across
Oman.

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Courtland And Omari Assist TAISM
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6. The student-athletes rounded out their visit with a program at
The American International School of Muscat (TAISM),a school
with 360 students from over 30 different countries. Mr. Faulkner
and Mr. Freeman addressed the morning assembly, detailing the
challenges and rewards of pursuing a balance between academics
and extracurricular activities. Next, they visited a 9th-grade
Health class and discussed issues such as the dangers of drug use
and the importance of setting goals. After giving an interview
to the school newspaper, the two players conducted three separate
basketball clinics for 4th-graders, 5th-graders, and middle
school students. The TAISM students reacted positively to the
Cultural Envoys, viewing them as role models and asking
enthusiastically for autographs. The secondary school principal
praised the Envoys upon their departure, commenting that the two
young men "had a good message" for TAISM's students. After
completing their program at TAISM, the players journeyed to the
PAO's residence for lunch with selected journalists and editors
from Oman's press establishment.

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A Full-Court Press For The Media
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7. Media coverage of the program was extensive and positive,
particularly in the Arabic-language press. The November 22
editions of the Arabic-language dailies "Al-Shabiba" (estimated
circulation 30,000) and "Al-Watan" (circulation 40,000) featured
articles on the opening ceremony at the Bausher Club, complete
with photographs of the event and of the Cultural Envoys. The
English-language newspaper "Oman Daily Observer" (circulation
20,000) carried a similar article. On November 23, the Envoys
hit the trifecta by appearing in all three of the Arabic-language
dailies, including the government-owned "Oman" (circulation
38,000). Both "Oman" and "Al-Shabiba" published quarter-page
stories about the demonstration game at the Sultan Qaboos Sports
Complex with large color photographs, as did the "Oman Daily
Observer." Finally, on November 25, the "Oman Daily Observer"
ran a piece about the Cultural Envoy program, with excerpts from
interviews with Mr. Faulkner and Mr. Freeman.

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A Genuine Slam-Dunk
--------------


8. If the pilot program in Oman is any indication, the Cultural
Envoy project has a bright future indeed. The level of interest
shown by Omani youth in the Envoys' activities, combined with the
universal expressions of goodwill directed towards these talented
Americans, bodes well for cultural and sports programming in the
region.

BALTIMORE