JEDDAH: The Fakher program, a campaign to develop and implement adaptive sports opportunities for people with disabilities, completed its first training camp in Riyadh last week.
Fakher, organized by the Saudi Arabia Paralympic Committee under the Quality of Life program, was launched on July 4 and aims to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which seeks to increase engagement in sports and improve the quality of life for Saudis.
Program activities are scheduled to be held over a year, and include the provision of health and physical rehabilitation services to Saudi male and female participants, with each member able to pick one of four sports fields that best suits his or her capabilities: Shooting, weightlifting, basketball or athletics.
The program will also provide prosthetic limbs and sports chairs.
Rafid Al-Qadheeb, CEO of Saudi Arabia Paralympic Committee, highlighted the importance of empowering people with disabilities through sports programs.
“This year marked a turning point in sports history in Saudi Arabia, with the inclusion of people with disabilities in the wider community,” he said. “Sport has provided much-needed visibility for those with disabilities in the country, and has highlighted their strengths and ability to contribute positively to their community.”
The Fakher program includes three local and international camps for about 350 Saudis, overseen by a team of experienced trainers and physiotherapists. National champions of these competitions will get the chance to join local sports clubs on a permanent basis.
“Fakher is a high-performance athlete wellness and transition program designed to give Saudi athletes new tools to pursue excellence during and beyond their sporting careers,” Al-Qadheeb said.
Following the program’s official announcement in July, hundreds of individuals with special needs signed up join the para-athletics program, with the first training camp kicking off in the Saudi capital on Aug. 1 and ending on Aug. 8.
Mohammed Al-Othman, head of project management for Fakher, said that the first training camp is part of a multi-sport series to be held nationally and internationally.
“It’s a message to talented people with disabilities to join Fakher,” he said. “We have a large number of applicants to join the program, but right now we are targeting around 350 disabled athletes, with more to come in the future.”
Al-Othman said that the registered athletes first attend an orientation session and later are given the opportunity during four days of training to select the sport they would like to take part in.
One of the disabled athletes who joined Fakher program, Munais Fahad Al-Qahtani, a social activist and founder and head of the Saudi Falcons with disabilities team, posted on his Twitter account: “On Sunday, it was my last day at the first Fakher training camp with the group. I would like to extend my special thanks to the Minister of Sports, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, and to Ahmed Al-Muqarin, president of the Fakher supreme committee, for giving us the chance to empower ourselves.”
He added: “It’s so great to see more athletes involved now. I hope this gets bigger and bigger in coming years.”
