Ironman’s Middle East Expansion: Opportunity, Sportwashing, or Something Entirely Different?

Oman is the new home of the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship, the location of the first full-distance Ironman in the region next year, and in 2029, it will be the venue for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. If long-course triathlon fans aren’t yet familiar with Oman on the Arabian Peninsula, it’s time to learn.

The partnership between Ironman and Experience Oman, the tourism company representing the Sultanate – the term for the form of Omani government – was announced to much fanfare on the eve of this year’s men’s Ironman World Championship in Nice. The accompanying sales pitch gushed about the wonders triathletes should expect, beyond sport – from camel racing to camping under a galaxy of stars – if they take the flight (circa 18 hours from the U.S.) to race. The tagline: “Beauty has an Address; Endurance has a Destination.”

But is Oman really, as Ironman CEO Scott DeRue put it, “a unique adventure destination that fits perfectly with our global endurance community,” or an investment influx for Ironman from a state looking to sportswash its public image against ongoing concerns of gender inequality and human rights abuses?

Oman shifts from oil to triathlon tourism

We’ll address its global image shortly, but first – as with much of the region – a harsh economic reality is looming for Oman. Historically, the country has relied heavily on oil revenue, but projections suggest that its reserves could start declining sharply within the next two decades, and policymakers need to develop alternative sources of revenue.

Tourism is an obvious one, and Ironman is just a start. “Hosting such international events reflects the Sultanate’s readiness to accommodate major global competitions and contributes to diversifying tourism offerings,” His Excellency Azzan bin Qassim Al Busaidi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, tells Triathlete.

Through its “Vision 2040” development plan, Oman plans to invest around five billion U.S. dollars in strategic tourism projects by 2028. The centerpiece will be Oman Sports City, a world-class hub for sporting events. In turn, it will create jobs in hospitality, services, and sports-related industries, with the projects also intended to encourage healthier lifestyles and foster community engagement among locals.

It’s not an idea unique to Oman. Triathletes considering racing in the Middle East have increasing options, be it Ironman, T100 events in Qatar and Dubai, or even Challenge Sir Bani Yas in February, a race headquartered on a cruise ship off the Abu Dhabi coast.

Oman will lean into its striking landscapes and renowned hospitality to differentiate itself as a destination, and gently push the message of being a politically calmer counterpoint to its more tumultuous neighbors. In many ways, it should be the perfect playground for endurance athletes and adventurers. But is it?

Low numbers plague endurance events in Oman

This won’t be Oman’s first foray into endurance sports, so there is some historical context: Ironman launched a 5150 Olympic-distance event in Muscat, Oman, in 2018; a 70.3 took place in the capital a year later; and in 2022, Salalah 70.3 started in Oman’s second-largest city.

For ultrarunners, Oman by UTMB (a brand now owned by Ironman) launched in 2018 in the Al Hajar Mountains in northern Oman. The challenging event included a 100-plus-mile race with nearly 35,000 feet of ascent. Too tough? Maybe, because it didn’t return post-pandemic.

Historically, something isn’t quite working: Looking at the current participation figures for Omani Ironman races, they are worryingly low. According to the official tracker, the 70.3 race in Salalah two weeks ago had just over 200 finishers, including 33 women. In any other event in the world, Ironman would likely be “reducing its footprint” in the area.

February’s race in Muscat had only around 700 participants. This compares with around 850 in Bahrain last year and more than 1,600 in Dubai (the last time a 70.3 was held there in 2022). How much of a shot in the arm the new investment will be to attract entrants remains to be seen, but 6,000-plus triathletes for a 70.3 World Championship in 2029 seems a long way to go.

What about Oman’s human rights record?

For many, traveling to Oman is still a step into the unknown, and beneath the surface of tourist safety and tradition lies a political and social structure that differs profoundly from what Westerners are accustomed to at home.

One way to make sense of these differences is through the lens of Freedom House. The U.S.-based nonprofit evaluates political rights and civil liberties worldwide, but while the group is an influential barometer for governments and researchers, some critics argue that its emphasis on liberal democratic norms can create a Western bias.

Each year, Freedom House publishes its flagship Freedom in the World report, assigning countries a score out of 100, broken into two categories: political rights (0–40 points) and civil liberties (0–60 points). According to its latest report, Oman scores 24 out of 100, placing it firmly in the Not Free category, versus Free or Partly Free. This may seem discouraging, but compared with the five other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states Oman is a relatively better performer.

Saudi Arabia scores only 9/100, the United Arab Emirates 18/100, and Bahrain and Qatar both hover at or below Oman’s level. In comparison, the U.S. scored 84/100, reflecting protections for democratic participation, speech, assembly, and civil liberties.

Part of this can be explained by the ruling structure. Oman remains an absolute monarchy with the Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, holding sweeping executive, legislative, and judicial powers. It does have a council with partially elected members, but its authority is largely advisory. Political parties are banned, and organized opposition is absent. Permits are required for public gatherings, and demonstrations are rare.

On gender equality, Freedom House says women in Oman have greater rights than in neighboring Saudi Arabia, including the ability to drive, work in many sectors, and access education. Women also serve in professional roles and government positions. Nevertheless, significant barriers remain. Inheritance law favors men, personal status codes give male guardians authority in certain matters, and social expectations can limit women’s participation.

The United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch (HRW) broadly reinforce Freedom House’s assessment, with HRW documenting arrests of peaceful activists, but also noting incremental reforms such as Oman’s new Social Protection Law, which expands pensions and worker benefits, including for migrant workers.

Saqar Al Khalifa, a Bahraini triathlete, academic, and former government media attaché in Washington, offers another perspective and places cultural misunderstanding at the heart of the criticism.

“Different cultures don’t understand that equality and justice are not the same,” he says, arguing that idealist and liberal views of Europe and the U.S. are not shared by much of the rest of the world. “There is no wrong culture; every culture is right for itself. You don’t want people enforcing their culture on you, so don’t enforce your culture on them. Make people know and love you so they wish they are like you.”

The tourism reality

Reasonable (time-wise) flights from the New York City area to Muscat – the most accessible airport in Oman – range around $1,200 for off-peak fares. While that may seem like a bargain, the 18-plus-hour trip is still physically daunting for those hoping to race from North America.

Flights from New York City to Doha, Qatar, are on average 20% cheaper and 20% shorter than Muscat for the same dates; the same can be said for travel to Manama Bahrain International Airport.

Flights from London to Muscat take around 10 hours and cost around £400 ($520) or £1,400 ($1,825) for business class travelers. This typically means a change in Bahrain or Doha, with direct flights (around seven hours) much less frequent and costing around £200 more.

Hotel accommodation next February, when Muscat hosts its next Ironman 70.3, starts from just $450 for a week’s stay for two adults, but more luxury options are available depending on your budget. Dining in Oman is both affordable and varied, with local meals typically costing between 2 and 8 Omani rials (around $5–20 USD), and higher-end restaurants in Muscat or resort areas charging a little more.

The food scene blends Middle Eastern flavors with Indian and Mediterranean influences, and service standards are high across the board. Alcohol, however, is tightly regulated — it’s available only in licensed hotels, resorts, and select restaurants catering to tourists. While visitors can enjoy a drink in these venues, public consumption and intoxication are strictly prohibited.

Once on the ground, there should be few fears for triathletes who respect the local laws. According to the Numbeo 2025 Safety Index, Muscat is ranked the seventh safest city out of 382 global cities, with a safety index score of 80.9. Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai took the top three spots.

For context, many host cities in North and Latin America have good but generally lower safety ratings. U.S. Ironman venues like Tempe, Arizona, typically fall in the 50–70 range on Numbeo’s Safety Index, while Cozumel in Mexico is considered safe for tourists but not at Gulf-region levels.

In contrast, Port Elizabeth, host of Ironman South Africa, has a Safety Index of around 21.5 and very low night-time walking safety. For racers and crews, that means extra caution – secure lodging, reliable transport, and staying close to race areas with expensive and hard-to-conceal equipment. For more context, the newly announced 70.3 San Salvador is hosted in a city with a Safety Index of 42.8, ironically nearly identical to another Ironman newcomer in 2026, Jacksonville, Florida.

It’s also worth noting that a planned Challenge Family event back in 2015 had to be canceled due to concerns around an internal conflict within the neighboring country of Yemen. The Yemeni civil war is still technically ongoing, though the most recent violence has mostly been focused on shipping routes in the Red Sea – on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula, far from Oman.

How Ironman came to Oman

Saqar himself is a pioneer for triathlon in the region, having helped introduce Bahrain’s Prince Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa to the sport a decade ago, which triggered a boom for swim, bike, run, and ultimately led to Ironman’s initial involvement.

Saqar recalls Oman’s first foray, for the 2010 Asian Beach Games in Muscat, where, with few official triathlon federations, there was a scramble to pull together squads. The following year’s Arab Spring disrupted further progress, but Saqar says he was organizing a local triathlon in Bahrain around 2012 when Prince Nasser, a senior member of the Bahraini royal family, first showed an interest in multisport.

“All of a sudden, everything changed. Not just in Bahrain, but the whole region, all the way to Morocco. If His Highness [Prince Nasser] wears a watch, everyone wants to buy the same watch; a shirt from an unknown brand, everyone buys that brand. He personally puts value on those things – that’s how our culture works. So everyone was like: ‘What is this thing? I want to do it.’ And wherever he participated, he had a fantastic media team who would send out news to the whole Gulf.”

The triathlon bug quickly led to Ironman, and Saqar suggested Florida as a flat-and-fast introduction for Prince Nasser. The cavalcade from Bahrain created quite a stir. “Many newbies do Ironman Florida, and we arrived in a big jumbo jet, rented all-black SUVs, and the Americans got a big show,” Saqar says.

Then-Ironman CEO Andrew Messick was there, and discussions to bring the show to Bahrain began. The initial investment ask was almost insultingly high, though, Saqar recalls, with Messick conscious that he didn’t want to jeopardize any potential sale to the Chinese company Wanda, which subsequently bought Ironman before selling it back to U.S.-owned Advance Publications in 2020.

The Challenge race series stepped up instead, and by the start of 2015, Challenge Dubai, Bahrain, and a proposed new location in Oman would form part of Prince Nasser’s Triple Crown, where one million U.S. dollars was on offer for any triathlete winning all three. The Bahraini’s Plan B had worked out, the royal involvement had led to a surge in popularity in triathlon – and to Messick picking up the phone.

“A week after that first race in Bahrain, I got an apology from Andrew Messick, saying they messed up and wanted to be in the region,” Saqar says.

Meanwhile, Challenge fell out of favor with its hosts, as did the location for the canceled event in Oman in 2015, due to the previously mentioned ongoing internal conflict in Yemen.

As Ironman races in Dubai and Bahrain were established, Saqar says Oman was a tougher sell: “We met the minister for sport and tourism at the time and tried our best, but [the minister] found it difficult to justify the license fee, to close roads. It was difficult to explain how good Ironman could be for their future.”

The pandemic came and went, and while Messick stepped back from his role, the landscape was also shifting elsewhere: a jostling among the states, including UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, to put on the best triathlon events, and private companies such as Professional Triathletes Organization, Challenge, Ironman, and Supertri eager for hosting fees or further investment.

Later, it became an open secret that the T100 was also due to have its final race of the 2024 series in Oman, before it was canceled and Dubai became the default grand final host. This year Qatar has stepped in, with the series named Race To Qatar, as PTO’s latest round of funding included a $40 million investment from Saudi’s public investment fund.

Oman, in turn, has looked to Ironman, though Saqar feels it is an odd choice to remove the 70.3 Middle Eastern Championship from Bahrain. “In Muscat and Salalah the participation is low,” Saqar adds, regarding the events in the two largest cities in Oman. “What made sense for [Ironman] to do this much where participation is not as good?”

Ironman counters this by telling Triathlete that registration for the 2026 version of 70.3 Muscat (the only 2026 race in Oman open so far) is up 100% year over year after announcing the partnership in September.

“This partnership is about long-term vision for both Ironman and Oman,” Ironman representatives added. “Oman is already a world-class destination, known for its natural beauty, rich culture, and spirit of adventure — and we see enormous potential to grow our athlete community across the Gulf, but importantly, this is about the value Oman sees in our global community to drive tourism through sport.”

In addition to the projected spike in sports tourists, given the long-term partnership, Saqar is also confident that friendly neighbors will rally around and help one another out – and he himself has already signed up to race, adding: “They are famous for being really welcoming people who value relationships with families and are very close to each other. In 2029, people are going to come from around the world. I went to New Zealand [last year], and it felt like I was headed for Mars. But if it worked in Taupo, it will work in Oman, no doubt.”

What’s it like to actually race in Oman? Impressions from age-group triathletes

Based in California, Lin Rajoub is a dentist, endurance athlete, and fitness enthusiast. Of Syrian-Bulgarian heritage and passionate about global sport culture, she enjoys combining travel with racing while encouraging athletes to explore international events that push their limits on and off the course.

When did you race 70.3 Muscat, and what made you choose to sign up?

I raced 70.3 Muscat in February 2024. I was intrigued by the course, the cultural setting, and the opportunity to race in a region that is still emerging in the triathlon world. It felt meaningful to support and experience a race that highlights the Middle East’s growing endurance community.

How would you describe the experience of racing in the Middle East, and would you recommend it to other triathletes?

The race was incredibly well organized, and the atmosphere was energizing. The swim was choppy and challenging, the bike course was demanding due to the hilly terrain around Muscat, and the run was rewarding. I would recommend it to any triathlete seeking a memorable and physically challenging international race with exceptional event logistics.

How welcoming did you find Oman as a country to visit and did you have any concerns before traveling?

Oman was extraordinarily welcoming. The generosity, hospitality, and warmth from everyone I encountered exceeded expectations, creating a feeling of comfort and belonging throughout the trip. Any initial concerns related to logistics or traveling to a less frequently raced destination disappeared immediately upon arrival.

Would you return to race Ironman in Oman, and do you believe that Ironman’s scheduled events will be a success?

I would absolutely return to race a full Ironman in Oman. The country has the infrastructure, supportive culture, and unique landscape to deliver a world-class race experience, and the hospitality alone makes it a destination worth revisiting. The 70.3 World Championship in 2029 has every possibility of being a success, given the quality of organization and the region’s growing enthusiasm for endurance sport.

Anything else you would like to add about the race or region?

Oman is an incredibly underrated destination, both for racing and travel. The landscape is stunning, with dramatic mountains, pristine coastline, and historic architecture that create a scenic and inspiring backdrop for endurance sport. The people are genuinely kind, thoughtful, and welcoming in a way that leaves a lasting impression, making the entire experience feel not only athletic but meaningful on a personal level.

James Eacott is a 39-year-old UK-based triathlete who has competed over long-distance triathlons since 2015, qualified for multiple 70.3 and Ironman World Championships, and even claimed a couple of age-group podiums.

Did you have any concerns before you traveled to the event, and if so, what were they?

I had zero concerns about travelling to Oman. My brother lived there for five years until 2017 and shared nothing but positive reports. I found the same once I got there and would have zero concerns about returning.

Could you pick out any specific highlights and areas of improvement?

The place just felt authentic, but with enough Western influence to be safe and recognizable enough by Western tastes. Restaurants and shops were interesting without being weird. The locals were chilled and as friendly as anywhere.

It felt like a safe adventure – like we were stepping a little out of our comfort zone, but once there relaxed massively because while it is different to most Ironman race destinations, you quickly realise it’s very slick and professional.

As for the race, I don’t remember much about the logistics except for the finish area, which was super-chill – all in one place, very close to the finish line. Lots of sofas and bean-bags outside to lounge around on, good food. It was easy to drive to the event and park close.

Cost-wise, did it feel cheap, affordable, or overtly expensive?

It was cheaper than the U.K., though not hugely so. A coffee is around $2, and a meal out is about $8 for a main course. Accommodation was very reasonable, though. The easiest bit was the travel there. Flights from Europe are very easy, either overnight or daytime to make adjusting to the (slightly) different time zone seamless.

How did the experience compare, both on the course and off it, versus other long-distance endurance events?

On the course, it was comparable to any event – very slick, well organized, educated marshals at the aid stations, and a wicked route – the bike route in particular was challenging and stunning. One big loop that went into the mountains was fab. An honest course, but not too hard, which showed some cool parts of the countryside. Roads were impeccable. Lots of motorbikes are marshaling drafting too. I won’t do the full in 2026, as Kona is now locked in, but I would definitely consider doing the half again.

What would your advice be for anyone thinking about racing in Oman in the near future?

It’s a great destination. If you don’t want to immerse yourself in the place, the logistics are easy enough to fly in and out on a 4-5 day trip, and the race venue/course is so good that it’s 100% worth it. But for those who have the time and inclination, it’s definitely somewhere to enjoy hanging out during race week and then after. I made the mistake of leaving the day after the race and wish I’d stayed to do some exploring away from the city.