JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has launched a project entitled “The Sports, Culture and Tourism Meet” with the objective of developing cultural, sporting and tourist activities in the province. The launch took place in a meeting at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday.
“The event’s activities will start with competitions in poetry, story writing and painting, apart from sports contests on a regional level and will culminate in a 10-day event in Jeddah,” Prince Khaled said at the meeting, which was organized with the participation of the Presidency of Youth Welfare, the Ministry of Education and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in addition to the governor’s office.
A committee composed of Prince Khaled, Education Minister Faisal bin Abdullah, President of Youth Welfare Prince Sultan bin Fahd and SCTA chief Prince Sultan bin Salman will supervise the implementation of the project, in which hundreds of thousands of youths will participate. A South African university specialized in management sciences provided technical advice for the project, the prince said.
Describing the meet as a huge effort for achieving greater cultural progress, the prince said: “The project is flexible so new items can be added to its activities or dropped depending on their benefits.”
The project, which is based on a strategy drawn up at the governor’s office, will be executed with the participation of the Presidency of Youth Welfare. Prince Sultan bin Fahd said he was overwhelmed by the idea of the project, which underscored the promotion of cultural, tourist and sports activities in Makkah province. Prince Sultan said he would strive to make a comprehensive developmental scheme for sports in the Kingdom with the cooperation of all the country’s governorates.
“The presidency is striving to develop sports facilities, including the construction of public grounds in cities and districts across the Kingdom for various youth activities,” Prince Sultan said.
The prince disclosed the presidency’s plan to establish three sports academies in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province in the running of which businessmen can also participate.
Faizah Natto, executive director of the women’s wing of the Society for Visual and Auditory Impaired, urged the authorities to include women with special needs in the cultural and sports competitions.
