JEDDAH, 4 June 2004 — Seven countries will compete in the "Road to Athens" competition that will kick off from Tabuk to Athens where the 2004 Olympics are taking place.
The official announcement was made on Saturday night by Prince Talal ibn Mohammed Al Faisal, deputy chairman of Road to Athens competition. He said: "It is the first of its kind competition when voyagers from different countries cross a distance of 3,580 across Asia and Europe, passing through 6 countries and 57 cities."
He added, "It is aimed to reveal an image of civilization and sports in KSA and other Arabic Islamic territories toward all world's nations, in addition to exploitation of this event's universality to pass a message of peace, love and friendship, as well as, sparking an interaction among world's nations."
He announced that the race will consist of walking, cycling, horseback riding and camel race.
"Under the patronage of Prince Abdullah Al Faisal, seven countries including Saudi Arabia will be competing in this historical competition. The other six nations are: Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt," he said.
The teams are to cross a distance of 3,580 km across Asia and Europe, passing through 57 cities, taking off from Tabuk, north of Saudi Arabia all the way to Athens-Greece.
Every country will nominate five voyagers with three of them qualifying for the final round." A training camp will be held in Tabuk for all participants starting from June 12-24 when officials will explain all the details of the competitions," he said.
He announced that prizes will be as follow: SR150,000 for the winner and SR50,000 for the second place winner.
