Ali Reza Food Services Ltd., exclusive McDonald’s franchisee for the Western Region of Saudi Arabia, in partnership with Tokyo Games, announced yesterday that the annual Jeddah Basketball Tournament 2013 will be hosted at the Sheraton Jeddah Hotel court this weekend.
“As we are part of the Saudi community we are always keen on organizing activities for all segments of our society, and through this initiative we aim to show off the talents of Saudi youth basketball players,” said Mohammed Alireza, marketing manager of Reza Food Services, McDonald’s development licensee for the country’s western and southern regions.
“This year, we have 24 teams competing in the two-day tournament which will again be officiated by qualified basketball referees.”
Alireza also further expressed the substantial role McDonald’s played in communicating the importance of a healthy balanced lifestyle through sports initiatives, such as the basketball tournament, and sponsorships where McDonald’s is the official partner of the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup.
He added, “This year’s tournament will see a unique ‘spin’ where McDonald’s Western Region and Tokyo Games will each donate 10 Saudi riyals for every point scored, during the tournament, to a certain charity that we will be jointly announced at the end of the final game. We are hoping that this will encourage players to score more points to contribute more to charity.”
Commenting on his partnership, Mishaal Ali Reza, vice president of marketing Alireza Holdings and exclusive owner of Tokyo Games, said, “Last year’s tournament saw a large turnout of basketball enthusiasts, both players and audience, and this is what prompted us to ensure that it happens annually and we continue supporting one of the important segments in our society, the Saudi youth. This year’s tournament will have a first place prize of SR10,000 as well as runner-up prizes for second and third and a wide range of prizes for the audience that will have the chance to participate in different side-activities running throughout the two days.”
Throughout the 3-on-3 basketball event, MIX FM Radio will announce live updates of scores and rankings during the tournament in addition to special coverage by different local media channels as well. Fans can join the official Facebook page, Jeddah Basketball Championship for updates and coverage of the tournament.
3-on-3 Jeddah basketball event opens tomorrow at Sheraton
