JEDDAH, 15 March 2005 — Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that elections will be held for the first time to pick half the members of the boards of the country’s sports federations.
Crown Prince Abdullah has approved the measure proposed by Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, chief of the Youth Welfare Presidency (YWP), the Saudi Press Agency reported.
“All sports federations will be formed by electing 50 percent of its board members from representatives of sports clubs across the Kingdom,” the agency said.
The sports clubs will be considered the general assembly of sports federations in the country, Prince Sultan said, adding that elections will be conducted under strict supervision.
The YWP chief will select the chairman of each federation as well as name the other 50 percent of its board members, the agency said. The members must be specialists, be they be from government agencies such as universities and military sectors or individuals.
Sports federations governing various sports activities including football, volleyball, basketball, handball, equestrian, athletics and weightlifting fall under the purview of the YWP.
“The elections will be conducted as per regulations that conform with the Saudi law and the rules of the International Olympic Committee and international sports federations as well as the basic laws of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and Saudi sports federations,” Prince Sultan said.
Prince Abdullah has instructed the YWP chief to coordinate with the minister of municipal and rural affairs and the election committees at the ministry to make use of their experience to conduct elections. Independent agencies will be appointed to supervise the polls.
A committee will be set up under the chairmanship of Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal, deputy chief of YWP, to prepare the executive bylaw for the new-look sports federations as well as to supervise elections.
Prince Sultan said the move to hold elections within sports federations was in line with the regulations of the International Olympic Committee and international sports federations, where Saudi Arabia plays an active role.
“It also goes hand in hand with the Kingdom’s plan to hold elections in a gradual manner,” he said. Saudi Arabia is currently holding nationwide municipal elections to pick half the members of the country’s 178 municipal councils. The first and second phase of civic polls have already been completed. The third phase, covering Makkah, Madinah, Tabuk, Hail and Al-Jouf regions as well as Qasim and the Northern Border Province will be held on April 21.
The YWP chief thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, for their support and care for the sports sector.
“This generous support has been instrumental in helping our youths make tremendous achievements in sports events at Arab, regional and international levels,” he said.
United, Arsenal Kept Apart in FA Cup Semifinal Draw
In London, holders Manchester United and archrivals Arsenal were kept apart when the draw for the semifinals of the FA Cup was made yesterday. Reuters adds
United were paired away with Newcastle with Arsenal up against Blackburn Rovers.
That left open the prospect of an Arsenal-Manchester United final with the FA Cup representing both English giants last chance of silverware this season after they were each knocked out of the Champions League last week.
League Cup winners Chelsea, beaten by Newcastle in the FA Cup, lead the Premiership by eight points from United with Arsenal two points further behind in third place.
United, who have won the FA Cup a record 11 times, reached the last four with a 4-0 thrashing of Premiership strugglers Southampton on Saturday with Arsenal, nine-times Cup winners, beating Bolton 1-0. Sunday saw Blackburn and Newcastle, who have each won the Cup six times, enjoy 1-0 quarterfinal wins over Championship Leicester and Tottenham respectively. The Newcastle-United semi will see Alex Ferguson’s men trying to frustrate what is set to be Alan Shearer’s last bid for a trophy. Newcastle captain Shearer has vowed to retire at the end of the season, and he now comes up against the club who wanted to sign him earlier in his career.
