AlUla ready to host Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation Endurance Cup

AlUla ready to host Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation Endurance Cup
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Updated 29 November 2024
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AlUla ready to host Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation Endurance Cup

AlUla ready to host Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation Endurance Cup
  • Event will feature more than 200 male and female riders competing across a challenging 120-kilometer course

ALULA: The Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation Endurance Cup will take place on Saturday at the Al-Fursan Equestrian Village fields in AlUla.

The event will feature more than 200 male and female riders competing across a challenging 120-km course, with a prize pool totaling SR1.5 million ($399,268).

Organized in collaboration between the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, the event will showcase the Kingdom’s growing presence in the global equestrian arena.

A veterinary examination of the participating horses took place on Friday to ensure the well-being of all entrants ahead of the race.

This marks the fourth endurance race hosted in AlUla during the 2024-2025 season, and the region has become a key destination for endurance racing, attracting top talent from around the world.

The endurance racing season in AlUla will culminate in February 2025 with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.


Saudi minister of sports attends WADA meetings in Riyadh

Saudi minister of sports attends WADA meetings in Riyadh
Updated 05 December 2024
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Saudi minister of sports attends WADA meetings in Riyadh

Saudi minister of sports attends WADA meetings in Riyadh
  • WADA executive committee meeting on Wednesday included a dedicated session centered on Asia
  • Meetings reflect the Kingdom’s and Ministry of Sport’s efforts to support international initiatives

RIAYDH: Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, minister of sport and member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, attended on Thursday the WADA meetings, which the ministry hosted over two days in Riyadh.
Presided over by Witold Banka, WADA’s president, the meetings addressed updates on international policies and strategies, the development of mechanisms for enforcing regulations, and the adoption of the agency’s 2025–2029 strategic plan.
The 2025 budget was also approved, underscoring a commitment to upholding the highest standards of sports integrity, a media statement said.
The WADA executive committee meeting on Wednesday included a dedicated session centered on Asia and was attended by prominent international sports leaders and experts.
The meetings reflect the Kingdom’s and the Ministry of Sport’s efforts to support international initiatives aimed at fostering a fair and transparent sporting environment, combating doping, and enhancing the global sports landscape.
WADA was established in 1999 as a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the integrity of sports through anti-doping efforts.
The agency collaborates with international sports organizations and is governed by a foundation board comprising 42 members, including 21 ministers and 21 representatives from international Olympic committees, federations, athletes and national anti-doping organizations.


Zimbabwe pip Pakistan in T20 thriller for consolation win

Zimbabwe pip Pakistan in T20 thriller for consolation win
Updated 05 December 2024
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Zimbabwe pip Pakistan in T20 thriller for consolation win

Zimbabwe pip Pakistan in T20 thriller for consolation win
  • Pakistan was seeking series sweep after winning the first two matches by 57 runs and 10 wickets respectively
  • Pakistan, who also beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in ODI series, now head to South Africa for eight-match all-formats tour

BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe grabbed a consolation two-wicket victory over Pakistan in a thrilling final Twenty20 international on Thursday, with tailender Richard Ngarava getting them over the line with one ball to spare.
Pakistan, seeking a series sweep after winning the first two matches by 57 runs and 10 wickets respectively, rested several key players and made 132-7 off 20 overs in Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe responded strongly initially with opener Brian Bennett scoring 43, but the Pakistan bowlers hit back and the loss of home captain Sikandar Raza (19) spelt trouble.
Needing 12 runs from the last over for victory, Tinotenda Maposa struck a four, a six and a single to level the scores with three balls remaining.
Tashinga Musekiwa was caught by Tayyab Tahir off the bowling of Jahandad Khan to increase the tension at the Queens Sports Club.
Ngarava then became the hero, striking the penultimate ball back toward Khan. It hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end and deflected to mid-off for the winning run as Zimbabwe reached 133-8.
Top scorer Bennett said: “We have got Afghanistan from next week in all formats so it is nice to win and establish some momentum.”
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha reserved special praise for batter Saim Ayub and wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem after the two white-ball series victories.
“I think Saim and Sufiyan have long futures ahead and will serve Pakistan for many years. Saim has been playing all three formats and doing really well. Sufiyan too.”
Bennett hit a six and six fours in his knock as he took Zimbabwe to 73-2 before wickets started to fall regularly.
Agha was the leading Pakistan scorer with a 32 that included three fours while Blessing Muzarabani took two wickets for Zimbabwe.
Pakistan, who also beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in a one-day international series, now head to South Africa for an eight-match all-formats tour that starts on December 10 with a Twenty20 international.


Neuer banned for two German Cup games after first career red

Neuer banned for two German Cup games after first career red
Updated 05 December 2024
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Neuer banned for two German Cup games after first career red

Neuer banned for two German Cup games after first career red
  • A German FA (DFB) disciplinary committee said Thursday a “two-match ban” was the usual penalty
  • With Bayern out of the competition, Neuer would not serve the ban until next season’s German Cup or Super Cup

MUNICH: Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer was on Thursday hit with a two-game ban in the German Cup after receiving the first red card in his 866-game career.
Neuer was sent off in the 17th minute of the defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 as the 38-year-old goalkeeper rushed out of his goal and collided with an advancing Jeremie Frimpong.
With Bayern reduced to 10 men, Leverkusen won 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from Nathan Tella.
A German FA (DFB) disciplinary committee said Thursday a “two-match ban” was the usual penalty for “preventing an obvious goal-scoring opportunity for a foul without a goal being scored.”
The 2014 World Cup-winning goalkeeper apologized to his teammates for the red card on social media after the defeat.
With Bayern out of the competition, Neuer would not serve the ban until next season’s German Cup or Super Cup.
Neuer’s contract at Bayern expires at the end of the current season, meaning he would avoid the ban should he retire or leave German football.


The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up

The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up
Updated 05 December 2024
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The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up

The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up
  • The tournament will take place in 11 US cities from June 15 to July 13 in an expanded format with 32 teams instead of the previous seven
  • Europe got 12 places, South America six, while Africa, Asia and North America got four each

GENEVA: Soccer’s biggest ever global club tournament is coming to the United States next year and the 32-team group stage will be drawn Thursday.
European powers Real Madrid and Manchester City, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, recently crowned South American champion Botafogo and top clubs from Asia, Africa and Oceania are among the teams who are in the draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup.
The tournament, which used to be played annually in December, will take place in 11 US cities from June 15 to July 13 in an expanded format with 32 teams instead of the previous seven. Going forward the Club World Cup will be played every four years – just like the World Cup for national teams, which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026.
Here’s what to know about the Club World Cup draw, which is made in Miami at 1 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Thursday.
What is the Club World Cup?
FIFA and its presidents have long coveted a prime piece of club soccer content.
The 2025 Club World Cup is FIFA’s most ambitious project, creating a month-long tournament in a mid-June to mid-July slot historically used by the men’s World Cup, which draws the biggest audiences in global sports.
The new club competition uses the traditional 32-team format used by the World Cup from 1998 to 2022. Eight round-robin groups of four teams each, and the top two advance to a knockout bracket of 16.
In allocating 32 entries, FIFA tried to balance getting the best and most watchable teams with giving all the world a chance to compete and develop.
Europe got 12 places, South America six, while Africa, Asia and North America got four each. One place went to Oceania and one to the host nation that should change for each edition.
Teams qualified by winning their continental championship from 2021 through 2024, or ranking highly with consistent results across those four seasons. Countries are capped at two entries unless more won titles. Brazil will send four different Copa Libertadores winners and Mexico three champions of the CONCACAF region. The other North American champion was Seattle Sounders.
Who will play?
Storied and wealthy European names are in: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. The current leaders of most of Europe’s strongest leagues miss out: Liverpool, Barcelona, Napoli and Sporting Lisbon.
Salzburg earned the last European entry last season based on FIFA’s ranking system though it can hardly be considered among Europe’s top clubs: it’s currently 32nd in the new 36-team Champions League standings.
Argentina’s big two clubs, River Plate and Boca Juniors, are in. The Brazilian and Mexican entries include, respectively, Fluminense and Pachuca, both currently 16th in their national league standings.
Africa’s entries include Al Ahly of Egypt — three times champion of Africa in the last four years — and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, which is owned by FIFA vice president Patrice Motsepe.
Saudi Arabia sends Al-Hilal, the 2021 champion of Asia, which won the domestic league last season despite losing Neymar to a long-term injury.
If they stay fit, the tournament will feature a new generation of stars such as Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will be there, with a FIFA thumb on the scales in October to give the team the host nation’s entry. Two other stars from Messi’s generation will miss out: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr and Barcelona with Robert Lewandowski failed to qualify through their continental Champions League competitions.
Why is Inter Miami playing?
The previous version of the Club World Cup kept an entry for the host nation’s champion. But this time FIFA did not wait for the MLS Cup title game on Saturday, when LA Galaxy hosts New York Red Bulls. Neither will be in the draw Thursday.
Instead, Inter Miami, with the star power of Lionel Messi on the field and co-owner David Beckham, was given the Club World Cup place in October based on regular-season standings. It will play three group-stage games in Florida, including opening the tournament at the Hard Rock Stadium.
What are they playing for?
Money and a trophy. Which is more prized by club owners is a debate to be had.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money, with reported guarantees of $50 million to top European teams, though it is currently unclear where from.
FIFA signed a global broadcasting deal Wednesday with streaming service DAZN to make all 63 games available for free. The value of the deal was not disclosed, and allows the streaming service to sell on rights to public broadcasters.
DAZN has close ties with Saudi Arabia, which promotes and stages top-level boxing title fights.
The new gold trophy has been fashioned by Tiffany and has Infantino’s name engraved on it twice. Plus his signature.
What is the tournament’s history?
Traditionally, the champions of Europe and South America played for the Intercontinental Cup. From 1980 to 2004 the game was played in Japan and usually in December.
FIFA launched a Club World Championship in 2000, played in January by eight teams in Brazil. It was not held again for nearly six years.
From 2005 through last year, the annual FIFA Club World Cup was played each December, settling on a seven-team knockout format: the six reigning continental champions and the host nation’s domestic champion. Hosts rotated between Japan, Abu Dhabi, Morocco, Qatar and, for its final edition last December, Saudi Arabia.
This annual event was unloved in Europe. The UEFA Champions League winner typically arrived for two games in four days and took home the trophy. Chelsea in 2012 was the only European team to lose in the past 17 years.
When first elected in 2016, Infantino spoke of FIFA’s need for a bigger, more attractive and lucrative club event.
In his previous job as UEFA general secretary, he helped organize the Champions League, in peak years of Messi winning the title at Barcelona and Ronaldo with Manchester United and then Real Madrid.
First, Infantino had a secretive $25 billion deal for new tournaments including a 24-team Club World Cup worth $3 billion every four years from 2021. That was blocked by European soccer officials.
Agreement was reached to play an inaugural 24-team tournament in June 2021 in China. Europe was to send just six teams.
No broadcast or sponsor deals had been announced by early 2020 when the tournament was scrapped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The June 2021 slot was needed for the postponed Euro 2020 and Copa America.
After the failed Super League project in April 2021 rocked European soccer, FIFA found agreement for a 32-team Club World Cup.


Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson announced as Golf Saudi ambassador 

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson announced as Golf Saudi ambassador 
Updated 05 December 2024
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Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson announced as Golf Saudi ambassador 

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson announced as Golf Saudi ambassador 
  • Role will involve ‘DJ’ leading year-round coaching for Saudi National Team golfers
  • American will also represent Golf Saudi brand globally

RIYADH: Double major winner Dustin Johnson was on Thursday announced as Golf Saudi’s newest high-profile ambassador as the sixth edition of the $5 million tournament entered its second day at Riyadh Golf Club.

In his ambassadorial role, American Johnson — who won Golf Saudi’s landmark men’s event in 2019 and 2021 and is competing in Riyadh this week — will help further drive the growth of golf in Saudi Arabia, working closely with the Kingdom’s national teams to deliver year-round lessons and coaching.

The world’s former No. 1 golfer — known as “DJ” — will continue to be a regular at golf events in Saudi Arabia and wear the Golf Saudi brand logo while competing around the world.

Dustin Johnson has been announced as a new Golf Saudi ambassador.(SUPPLIED)

Johnson said: “Golf Saudi is doing such a great job of promoting the game of golf and trying to get more people involved, here in Saudi Arabia and around the world. Me now being a Golf Saudi ambassador I’m very proud to be a part of that and I really want to help grow the game in Saudi.

“I won the first ever PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers at Royal Greens back in 2019. They do an amazing job of hosting all events out here — it doesn’t matter what kind of event or sport it is. I’ve always really enjoyed coming here and Golf Saudi put on an incredible event, which has gotten better every year — which is why I’ve come back and played every year since the first one.” Johnson also won the event in 2021.

Golf Saudi ambassador Dustin Johnson leads a coaching clinic at the Saudi International. (SUPPLIED)

Noah Alireza, CEO of Golf Saudi, said: “We are honored to have Dustin taking on this role, which will be at the heart of our ambition to grow golf in Saudi Arabia and deliver our dream of seeing a Saudi champion in the future.

“Our Saudi pro-golfers — a record five of whom are competing in the PIF Saudi International this week — and our national development team will be learning year-round and hands-on from one of the very best to ever play the game. Off course, we’ll work with DJ to co-innovate on the future of golf, leaning on his unrivalled expertise and knowledge of the game to get more Saudis playing golf.

Johnson is a two-time Saudi International champion. (SUPPLIED)

“Dustin was our debut PIF Saudi International champion back in 2019 and has been a huge supporter of our goals in golf ever since. We are delighted to strengthen that relationship and look forward to backing DJ as he continues to compete for the biggest titles in golf.”

The PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers is underway at Riyadh Golf Club, with play ending on Saturday, Dec. 7. Johnson is alongside Tyrell Hatton (England), defending champion Abraham Ancer (Mexico) and Cameron Smith (Australia) as one of the biggest names in the field. There are also five Saudi professionals competing, a record number.

All those who attend the event can sign-up on-site for Golf Saudi’s “Go Golf” world-first free-to-learn golf coaching scheme, which offers three months of free lessons for all new Saudi golfers.