WWE King and Queen of the Ring event to be staged at Jeddah Superdome

WWE King and Queen of the Ring event to be staged at Jeddah Superdome
King and Queen of the Ring comes to Jeddah for the first this May. (GEA)
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Updated 14 March 2023
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WWE King and Queen of the Ring event to be staged at Jeddah Superdome

WWE King and Queen of the Ring event to be staged at Jeddah Superdome
  • Contest will take place on Saturday, May 27 in world’s largest freestanding dome

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, in cooperation with WWE, has announced that the WWE King and Queen of the Ring event will be held at Jeddah Superdome, the world’s largest freestanding dome, on Saturday, May 27.

It will be the first King of the Ring premium live event to be held since 2015 and the first crowning of a queen since the inaugural Queen’s Crown Tournament which took place at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh in 2021.

More details on WWE King and Queen of the Ring will be announced in the coming weeks.

 


Saudi Arabia hosts men’s handball Super Globe 2023 in November

International Handball Federation’s men’s Super Globe Championship. supplied
International Handball Federation’s men’s Super Globe Championship. supplied
Updated 2 min 8 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia hosts men’s handball Super Globe 2023 in November

International Handball Federation’s men’s Super Globe Championship. supplied
  • 16th edition of the championship will see the participation of 12 teams from 10 countries

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host the International Handball Federation’s men’s Super Globe Championship for the fourth consecutive time, from Nov. 7 to 12.

The Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Arabian Handball Federation made the announcement on Thursday.

The event will take place in Dammam and is a key component of the Kingdom’s Quality of Life Program.

The 16th edition of the championship will see the participation of 12 teams from 10 countries.

The Kingdom’s Al-Khaleej and Al-Noor teams are participating for the second time. Al-Noor participated in the 2021 championship in Jeddah, while Al-Khaleej competed in last year’s tournament in Dammam, securing a commendable sixth-place finish.

The following clubs will participate: Saudi champions Al-Khaleej and runner-up Al-Noor; Germany’s SC Magdeburg, the reigning champions; Poland’s Kielce, the European champions; Bahrain’s Al-Najma, the Asian champions; Egypt’s Al-Ahly, the African champions; Argentina’s San Fernando, the south and central America champions; San Francisco CalHeat, the champions of North America and the Caribbean; University of Queensland, Oceana champions; and Kuwait, the Arab region’s champions.

There are two IHF-nominated teams, namely Barcelona from Spain and Fuchse Berlin from Germany.


Saudi athletes ready to shine at Riyadh’s 2023 World Combat Games

Saudi athletes ready to shine at Riyadh’s 2023 World Combat Games
Updated 27 September 2023
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Saudi athletes ready to shine at Riyadh’s 2023 World Combat Games

Saudi athletes ready to shine at Riyadh’s 2023 World Combat Games
  • Total of 127 men and women from the Kingdom to challenge for gold
  • Athletes to compete in 12 disciplines

Riyadh: A total of 127 Saudi male and female athletes are set to compete in the prestigious Riyadh 2023 World Combat Games between Oct. 20-30.
A media statement on Wednesday said the Saudis were confident that their efforts will put them in with a realistic chance of a podium finish at the action-packed tournament which is to be held at the King Saud University Arena.
The Saudi contingent includes 87 male athletes, 40 females, and a dedicated team of 56 coaches and administrators.
Saudi contestants will compete in 12 combat disciplines: aikido, boxing, fencing, judo, ju-jitsu, karate, kickboxing, muaythai, sambo, taekwondo, wrestling, and wushu.
Wrestling and fencing will boast the most Saudi nationals with 24 in each. Aikido has 17 Saudis while muaythai will see 15 participating.
The statement added that the Saudi athletes’ aspirations are high and fueled by the hope of bringing honor to the Kingdom.
Tickets for the event can be purchased through the official website at https://tickets.riyadh2023.com/
Priced at SR15 ($4), each ticket grants access to all competition venues and the fan zone, while offering complimentary parking. Athletes’ families, children under 12, and seniors over 65 will be admitted free of charge.
Tickets for the competition’s final day will include access to the closing ceremonies.
The World Combat Games aims to promote physical excellence, cultural exchange and international collaboration.


Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition

Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition
Updated 27 September 2023
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Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition

Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition
  • Saudi handball team misses chance to qualify for 2nd round after 23-23 draw with Iran, which qualified along with Japan from the group
  • Table tennis players Ali Al-Khadrawi and Turki Al-Mutairi qualify for 32nd round in singles competition

HANGZHOU, China: Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee president, who is leading the Kingdom’s delegation to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, on Wednesday attended the Saudi team’s esports competition.
The Saudi team reached the quarterfinals of the League of Legends game in the esports stadium, where they lost 0-2 to the Korean team.
Committee Vice President Prince Fahd bin Jalawi attended the Saudi handball team’s game against Iran as part of the handball competition group stage.
The Saudi team missed the chance to qualify for the second round after a 23-23 draw with Iran, which qualified along with Japan from the group.
A total of 193 Saudi athletes will compete in 19 sports at the Asian Games, which conclude Oct. 8.

Table tennis
Ali Al-Khadrawi and Turki Al-Mutairi qualified for the 32nd round in the singles competition after winning their 64th-round matches on Wednesday.
Al-Khadrawi defeated his Pakistani opponent 4-1, while Al-Mutairi beat a Mongolian rival 4-3.

Equestrian
Saudi rider Samantha Saifi concluded the qualifying round of the dressage competition, scoring 57.706 points in the second round of the competition on Wednesday. Saifi had previously scored 57.617 points in the competition on Tuesday, claiming 29th place in the overall standings.

Shooting
Prince Saud Al-Saud, Hatem Al-Shammari and Saed Al-Mutairi, who are representing Saudi Arabia in the shooting competitions, concluded their participation in the individual shotgun.
Al-Shammari finished 21st in the overall standings with a score of 116 out of 125, while Al-Mutairi ranked 25th with a score of 113. Prince Saud ranked 25th with a score of 113.

Taekwondo
Hisham Al-Dukhi and Mohammed Al-Suwaik exited the games in the quarterfinals of the taekwondo competitions after losing to China and the Philippines, respectively, on Wednesday.
Al-Dukhi defeated his Iraqi opponent Hussein Al-Lami 2-1 in the 32nd round before losing against China’s Chenming Xiao in the 16th round of the U-68 kg weight category. Al-Suwaik departed in the quarterfinals of the U-80 kg weight category.

Football
The Saudi U-23 football team trained for the last time ahead of their match against India in the 16th round on Thursday. National coach Saad Al-Shehri led the training session, which included fitness recovery exercises, a midfield mini-match, shooting practice and stretching exercises.


Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season

Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season
Updated 27 September 2023
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Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season

Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season
  • 700 races will be run at King Abdulaziz Racecourse with a total prize fund, excluding the Saudi Cup meeting, of $21.9m
  • Three other new cup races for Thoroughbreds have been added to the calendar

RIYADH: Prize money for the 2023-24 horse racing season in Riyadh, which begins on Oct. 16 and continues until Mar. 16, will increase by more than 7 percent compared with last season, and 56 additional races will be run at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, where the highlight remains the Saudi Cup in February.
The total prize money for the season, excluding the Saudi Cup meeting, will rise by $1.5 million to a total of $21.9 million, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia said. The total number of races will increase to 700 across 59 meetings, all of which will comprise 12 races compared with the previous 11: 10 for Thoroughbreds and two for purebred Arabians.
This represents a significant increase in the number of races for purebred Arabians over the course of the season, the jockey club added, with 66 races added to the calendar. They include a new cup race, the $80,000 Abdulaziz bin Musa’id bin Jalooey Cup, which will be run for the first time on Feb. 10, 2024.
Five purebred Arabian contests have been introduced to the pattern, the highest level of races, this season and will be run as listed contests. The JCSA Cup will take place on Nov. 25, a week after a new, yet to be named listed race on Nov. 18. In the new year, the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Sword on Jan. 13, the Sprint Championship on March 8, and the King Abdulaziz Racecourse Championship on March 9 will be run as purebred Arabian listed events.
Three other new cup races for Thoroughbreds have been added to the calendar. The Imam Mohammed bin Saud Cup, worth $240,000, is a notable addition to the King’s Cup race day on Jan. 13, and the others are the $80,000 Prince Saad bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Cup on Jan. 19 and the $80,000 Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Cup on Feb. 10.
A further development this season is the reduction of the distance in the listed Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup to 1,800 meters, the same trip as the $20 million Saudi Cup, to better reflect its status as a key qualifier for that contest.
The dates for the Saudi Cup meeting have been confirmed as Feb. 23 and 24. It will once again carry an enormous prize fund of $35.4m, with the centerpiece $20 million Saudi Cup race itself maintaining its position as the most valuable in the world.
For the first time this season, the Saudi Cup meeting will feature three international G1 races, after the Al-Mneefah Cup for purebred Arabians, which takes place the day before the Saudi Cup, was promoted to G1 status this season.
Prince Abdullah bin Khaled, chairperson of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia’s Technical Committee, said: “The announcement of the 2023-24 Riyadh program marks the JCSA’s continued commitment to the growth of racing in the Kingdom.
“The Riyadh program, held throughout the autumn, winter and spring at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, builds on the success of the Ta’if summer season and leads the Saudi Arabian racing community into the Saudi Cup weekend and beyond, to the conclusion of the season in March and then potentially an international campaign for the top performers.
“This season the listed Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup will be run as an 1,800-meter race for the first time, making it a true prep for the Saudi Cup, which is held over the same course and distance.
“In addition we have added to our purebred Arabian program, with almost double the amount of races on offer. Every race night will now feature 10 Thoroughbred races and two purebred Arabian contests, underlining our continued commitment to developing this code of racing both in Saudi Arabia and beyond.”
 


Saudi Arabia participating in Asian Games with an eye on Riyadh 2034

Saudi Arabia participating in Asian Games with an eye on Riyadh 2034
Updated 27 September 2023
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Saudi Arabia participating in Asian Games with an eye on Riyadh 2034

Saudi Arabia participating in Asian Games with an eye on Riyadh 2034
  • 188 Saudi athletes are competing in the 19th Asian Games
  • Riyadh will host the 22nd edition of the event in 2024

Hangzhou: The main target of Saudi participation in the 19th Asian Games is to uplift the contingent’s performance, the squad’s spokesperson told Arab News, as the Kingdom is preparing to host the games in Riyadh. 

A total of 188 Saudi athletes, including 19 women, are competing in 19 sports at venues spread across Zhejiang province in eastern China. The games started on Sept. 23 and will conclude on Oct. 4. 

During a glittering opening ceremony in Hangzhou, equestrian Ahmed Adnan H. Sharbatly and taekwondo athlete Dunya Ali Abutaleb held the Kingdom’s flag, leading its delegation in a march pass. 

The opening ceremony was one of the best spectacles in sports with the use of technology and lightning, setting a benchmark for the next hosts, including Riyadh, which will organize the 22nd edition of the pan-Asian multi-sport event in 2034. 

“The ceremony was impressive,” Abdulaziz Al-Baqous, media attache to the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee for the 19th Asian Games, told Arab News, referencing the technology that was used. 

Saudi Arabia has yet to register any number on the medal tally. Success is expected in athletics — the sport in which Saudi Arabia has won 17 out of its 25 gold medals in the games’ history. 

Al-Baqous, who has been working with the committee since 2016, feels the target for the Saudi team this time is to better its previous performance in the 2018 Asian Games held in Indonesia. At the time, the Kingdom won one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals. 

“The expectation from the Saudi team is to first (improve upon) the performance from the last Asian Games. Then to start pulling up the scales as we will be hosting the games in 2034,” he said. “We need to work harder and realize our targets in the coming years.” 

Saudi Arabia’s participation this time has not been limited to traditional sports, with esports making its debut as a medal sport in the 19th Asian Games, and the 21 players from the Kingdom competing in the category. 

The Kingdom has been investing heavily in the discipline and is emerging as a powerhouse in esports development under its Vision 2030 transformation programs. 

“Vision 2030 and its initiatives are a key enabler for all athletes. It is just the beginning. The strategies that were announced recently, i.e. the federation support strategy, the clubs support, also the Olympic training center, are the long-term programs — they will bring results in the future and that is why our delegation has young participants and new sports too,” Al-Baqous said. 

“We are confident with time, will be seeing the results from these strategies and massive investments in sports.” 

For Al-Baqous, the Asian Games was not just about competition but also about allowing athletes to meet their counterparts from other countries and establish connections with them. 

“For me, the participation in Asian Games is beyond sports,” he said. “It is also an opportunity to gather and socialize between sports fraternities in Asia, getting to share culture.”