Saudi Arabia\u2019s Minster of Sports, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, has extolled the value of turning the Kingdom into a sporting nation and destination for premier events.
\nLife in the Middle Eastern country has been transformed since sweeping reforms were set out in April 2016 by now Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s revolutionary \u2018Vision 2030\u2019 plan. Athletic endeavours feature in a strategic framework designed to reduce dependence on oil and diversify the economy, plus develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.
\nPrince Abdulaziz became Saudi Arabia\u2019s first-ever Minister of Sports in February. The accomplished racing driver \u2013 who has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, GT Masters, GT3 and Formula BMW \u2013 had previously held various positions in the General Sports Authority.
\nThe 37-year-old has been mandated to create a vibrant sporting scene at home and transform perceptions abroad. Boxer Anthony Joshua\u2019s mega rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr, Formula E\u2019s Diriyah ePrix, the Supercoppa Italiano, expanded Supercopa de Espana, golf\u2019s Saudi International and $20 million Saudi Cup \u2013 the world\u2019s richest horse race – headline a raft of elite occasions successfully hosted in recent years.
\nAnother landmark will be reached in 2021 with the inaugural running of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. This move was met with scepticism by some international media, though Prince Abdulaziz believes a different attitude will prevail once Saudi Arabia has firmly established itself as a leading venue for international sports events and attracts more people to watch big events there.
\n\u201cHosting such events will help us stage different kinds of sports within the Kingdom and will increase the diversity and attention towards these sports, which will hopefully lead to Saudis participating more in the future. We saw the first tourist visa happening because of the Formula E event (staged in Riyadh in 2018),\u201d he said in a wide-ranging interview for the latest episode of Frankly Speaking on Arab News.
\n\u201cIt is driven by His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman), who basically believes in the power of sports to change lives within the Kingdom and, within the Quality of Life program, to enhance and better the quality of life within the Kingdom,\u201d he added.
\nWith more than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia\u2019s, approximate, 35m population under the age of 35, it is vital that sports provides an influential role in boosting activity and promoting healthy lifestyles. Progress is being made in reaching a target of 40 per cent of the country being involved in in sports for more than 30 minutes per week by 2030, with a rise expected this year to 20 per cent from 2015\u2019s 13 per cent.
\nThe Ministry of Sports also encouraged participation, in a nation still dominated by \u2018car culture\u2019 and impacted by obesity, via TV programs and online schedules throughout the spring\u2019s enforced lockdown because of Coronavirus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end sport will be a tool to benefit the people of Saudi Arabia and, Inshallah, to deal with these issues that we have,\u201d he said.
\nBenefits further extend to the economy.
\nPrince Abdulaziz estimated sports\u2019 contribution rose to SAR6.5 billion ($1.7bn) in 2019, almost trebling 2016\u2019s SAR2.4bn ($640m). Saudi companies undertake 90 per cent of the business associated with sport in the Kingdom.
\nHe said: \u201cSome of them are small and medium companies today, but within three years they can become huge enterprises that are not only organising and setting up sports events, but are also getting into entertainment and culture and other events.
\n\u201cIf you look at the hospitality industry, if you look at the number of hotels that it engages, and if you look at the restaurants and the transportation and all of these things, they will benefit from these events that are hosted in Saudi Arabia.\u201d
\nAnother pillar of the Vision 2030 strategy is the role of women. A big increase has been witnessed in the number of females watching and participating in sports, including the launch of a 24-team women’s football league.
\nPrince Abdulaziz hailed the progress made to date and insisted further advances would be initiated in the \u201cright way\u201d.
\nHe said: \u201cAll of our programs today that we do in the ministry of sports and the Federation is all about diversity and inclusion.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re [women] finding support also from the players and their families. Things are changing and things are changing to the positive and we have to make sure that it changes in the right way.\u201d
\nHe added:\u00a0\u201cIn 2015 we had zero female national teams. Today we have 23 national teams that are participating in the name of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
A separation between sports and politics is also key. Competitors from countries Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic ties would be welcomed for the\u00a02034 Asian Games\u00a0and if their 2027 Asian Cup bid is successful.
\n\u201cWe already hosted a lot of international events and Asian events and there are participants from countries we don\u2019t have diplomatic relations with,\u201d said Prince Fahad bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, Vice President of the Olympic Committee. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about sports and sport people are welcome to come to Saudi Arabia in any event.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saudi Arabia\u2019s Minster of Sports, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, has extolled the value of turning the Kingdom into a sporting nation and destination for premier events.
\nLife in the Middle Eastern country has been transformed since sweeping reforms were set out in April 2016 by now Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s revolutionary \u2018Vision 2030\u2019 plan. Athletic endeavours feature in a strategic framework designed to reduce dependence on oil and diversify the economy, plus develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.
\nPrince Abdulaziz became Saudi Arabia\u2019s first-ever Minister of Sports in February. The accomplished racing driver \u2013 who has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, GT Masters, GT3 and Formula BMW \u2013 had previously held various positions in the General Sports Authority.
\nThe 37-year-old has been mandated to create a vibrant sporting scene at home and transform perceptions abroad. Boxer Anthony Joshua\u2019s mega rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr, Formula E\u2019s Diriyah ePrix, the Supercoppa Italiano, expanded Supercopa de Espana, golf\u2019s Saudi International and $20 million Saudi Cup \u2013 the world\u2019s richest horse race \u2013 headline a raft of elite occasions successfully hosted in recent years.
\nAnother landmark will be reached in 2021 with the inaugural running of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. This move was met with scepticism by some international media, though Prince Abdulaziz believes a different attitude will prevail once Saudi Arabia has firmly established itself as a leading venue for international sports events and attracts more people to watch big events there.
\n\u201cHosting such events will help us stage different kinds of sports within the Kingdom and will increase the diversity and attention towards these sports, which will hopefully lead to Saudis participating more in the future. We saw the first tourist visa happening because of the Formula E event (staged in Riyadh in 2018),\u201d he said in a wide-ranging interview for the latest episode of Frankly Speaking on Arab News.
\n\u201cIt is driven by His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman), who basically believes in the power of sports to change lives within the Kingdom and, within the Quality of Life program, to enhance and better the quality of life within the Kingdom,\u201d he added.
\nWith more than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia\u2019s, approximate, 35m population under the age of 35, it is vital that sports provides an influential role in boosting activity and promoting healthy lifestyles. Progress is being made in reaching a target of 40 per cent of the country being involved in in sports for more than 30 minutes per week by 2030, with a rise expected this year to 20 per cent from 2015\u2019s 13 per cent.
\nThe Ministry of Sports also encouraged participation, in a nation still dominated by \u2018car culture\u2019 and impacted by obesity, via TV programs and online schedules throughout the spring\u2019s enforced lockdown because of Coronavirus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end sport will be a tool to benefit the people of Saudi Arabia and, Inshallah, to deal with these issues that we have,\u201d he said.
\nBenefits further extend to the economy.
\nPrince Abdulaziz estimated sports\u2019 contribution rose to SAR6.5 billion ($1.7bn) in 2019, almost trebling 2016\u2019s SAR2.4bn ($640m). Saudi companies undertake 90 per cent of the business associated with sport in the Kingdom.
\nHe said: \u201cSome of them are small and medium companies today, but within three years they can become huge enterprises that are not only organising and setting up sports events, but are also getting into entertainment and culture and other events.
\n\u201cIf you look at the hospitality industry, if you look at the number of hotels that it engages, and if you look at the restaurants and the transportation and all of these things, they will benefit from these events that are hosted in Saudi Arabia.\u201d
\nAnother pillar of the Vision 2030 strategy is the role of women. A big increase has been witnessed in the number of females watching and participating in sports, including the launch of a 24-team women\u2019s football league.
\nPrince Abdulaziz hailed the progress made to date and insisted further advances would be initiated in the \u201cright way\u201d.
\nHe said: \u201cAll of our programs today that we do in the ministry of sports and the Federation is all about diversity and inclusion.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re [women] finding support also from the players and their families. Things are changing and things are changing to the positive and we have to make sure that it changes in the right way.\u201d
\nHe added:\u00a0\u201cIn 2015 we had zero female national teams. Today we have 23 national teams that are participating in the name of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
A separation between sports and politics is also key. Competitors from countries Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic ties would be welcomed for the\u00a02034 Asian Games\u00a0and if their 2027 Asian Cup bid is successful.
\n\u201cWe already hosted a lot of international events and Asian events and there are participants from countries we don\u2019t have diplomatic relations with,\u201d said Prince Fahad bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, Vice President of the Olympic Committee. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about sports and sport people are welcome to come to Saudi Arabia in any event.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10302"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10303,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10302\/revisions\/10303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}