JEDDAH: Ahmad Alsaggaf, a six-year-old Saudi boy from Jeddah, who was present at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had a ringside view of some of his favorite events including one with American Athlete Michael Phelps, the swimmer who set a new Olympic record by winning eight gold medals. Ahmad was one of the three winners from the Kingdom and some others from the Gulf Cooperation Council states under the ‘McDonald’s Champion Kids contest’ that entitled him to a four-day all-expenses-paid trip with a guardian to the Olympic Games, which ended recently. Ahmad traveled to Beijing with his father and two other Saudi winners — Osamah Saeed Abdullah of Riyadh and Saad Adnan of Dammam. “I am excited to have won the contest that enabled me to visit Beijing Olympics and see the action from close quarters,” Ahmad told Arab News on his return yesterday. “I learned a lot about the Chinese culture by visiting various tourist sites,” Ahmad said.
“It gave him a chance to interact with some of the Olympic champions and live the Olympic Games through his visit to the Olympic Village including the Olympic Green, in addition to a tour of the Great Wall of China and other iconic sights,” said Abdulrahman Alireza, general manager of the Reza Food Services Company, which ran the contest.
A number of children aged between 6 and 14 years from different parts of the Kingdom participated in the educational program.
