JEDDAH, 14 June 2004 — A new championship will be staged for sports enthusiasts in Riyadh and Jeddah next month. Hosted by Abdul Latif Jameel Company (ALJ) and sponsored by Toyota Camry 1MZ, the event, the first of its kind in the Middle East, will be marked by competitions in two cities — in Riyadh, at a place between King Fahd Street and Al Olaya Main Road, from July 7-8, and in Jeddah, at Durrat Al Arous, from July 21-22. “Competitions in Jeddah will coincide with the commencement of the annual summer festival,” Saudi Rally Champion Abdullah Bakhashab, organizer of the event, told a press conference at Lexus Club on Saturday night.
“The idea in promoting this sport is to spread the spirit of challenge among youths, especially as the vacation season starts,” Adnan Al-Qahtani, ALJ’s general manager-marketing, said. “This is also an effort to enthuse our young people to take part in ALJ’s marketing campaigns,” he added.
The presence of leading sports figures like Al-Ittihad basketball player Ali Al-Maghrabi and Majed Al-Ghamdi, driver of Toyota Rally Team and Toyota Cup Middle East Champion for two seasons, will be among the event’s highlights.
The contest will be open to youths of 18 to 30 years old. In all 40 teams, each team comprising four players, will take part in the competition, in Riyadh. Forty other teams will compete in Jeddah. Competitors will include football and basketball players, as well as rally and skating champions. The event’s football game will have a goalkeeper defending attacks from the competing teams. Each team member will be given three chances to score. The team netting the maximum number of goals will win. There will also be contests in basketball, driving skills in which Toyota Rally Team Saudi Arabia drivers will drive on the autocross racetrack prepared for the event, and skating.
The team scoring the highest points will be awarded four Camry 1MZ cars — one for each team member.
