Atkins Wins Muscat Sports Academy Contract

Atkins has won the Sultan Qaboos Sports Academy design and construction contract.

The Academy will feature 60m and 200m indoor running tracks and an indoor aquatic training centre, with Olympic-size swimming and diving pools housing spectator stands for 1,000 people.

A 3,000-seat outdoor tennis stadium will be a focal point, featuring a roof structure that illuminates at night.

Additional facilities will include football fields, a 400m athletics track, tennis stadium, beach volleyball courts, gymnasium, sports medicine centre, sports science faculty and laboratories.

The wide-ranging facility is designed to raise Oman’s sporting profile and serve as a platform to encourage more young Omanis to take up sport.

Atkins’ concept designer, Rohan Thotabaduge, said the architecture will reflect Omani culture and local history.

“The feature roof structure is designed to be a visible iconic memory of the Bousher sand dunes and will be a glowing beacon at night.

“Its structure will be visually prominent when viewed from the expressway and beyond, drawing the future young Omani athletes into the academy, while creating a sense of place and community appeal. It will interconnect all the buildings on the upper level, providing shade and enhancing sustainability.”

In a statement, Atkins said the complex will provide “equal opportunity for men and women athletes”.