JEDDAH: Saudis are generally considered soccer-crazy people and it is true, they do not mind also engaging in other sports.
One can find Saudis — men and women — participating in all kinds of sports and basketball is no exception. There is an academy in Jeddah that offers basketball training to aspiring players of both genders in a range of age groups.
Swish Basketball Academy started its operations in October 2017 with a program called MoHandles Basketball Camps, which was aimed at teaching basketball enthusiasts the basics of the game.
The founding coach of the academy, Mohanned Shobain, said due to public demand he decided to open an academy.
Shobain is a Saudi professional basketball player and he plays for the Ittihad Club. He is also a skills development coach recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). He has been coaching for 10 years in different organizations, and holds a master’s degree in sports business from Cleveland State University, Ohio.
Other coaches at Swish are Racan Barnawi and Sari Abdulmehsen, who are professional players and basketball coaches recognized by FIBA. They are also strength and conditioning coaches.
Currently, more than 100 members are enrolled with the basketball academy. It aims to promote a healthy lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, according to Shobain.
He wants to support female athletes and increase the number of female basketball players in the Kingdom.
“My goal is to increase the number of athletes in Saudi Arabia and encourage all age groups, especially children, to be active and live a healthy lifestyle. I wish to build a new generation with a better mindset and skills to be able to compete at the Olympics level,” Shobain said.
“Basketball and sports build characters and have a positive impact on people’s overall behavior.”
The academy plans to open its own state-of-the-art facilities across the Kingdom. It aspires to become one of the top sports academies not just in Saudi Arabia but also across the Middle East.
Swish’s online payment system is currently under development. Currently, customers can contact the academy through social media accounts or visit the academy currently located in Jeddah Private School’s facility to sign up.
“The process is easy: Once they make the call or visit us we give them a free pass to try out our class once or twice so as to help them make a decision.
“Usually, they practice 2-3 times a week or 8-12 sessions a month. It is a monthly program but some customers wish to sign up for 2-3 months,” Shobain said.
Interested people can visit the academy’s website or find it on Instagram @swishksa for further details.
Start-up of the Week: Swish — Promoting healthy lifestyle in Saudi Arabia
Start-up of the Week: Swish — Promoting healthy lifestyle in Saudi Arabia
- Basketball and sports build characters and have a positive impact on people’s overall behavior
- Swish Basketball Academy started its operations in October 2017 with a program called MoHandles Basketball Camps, which was aimed at teaching basketball enthusiasts the basics of the game
Saudi Arabia launches initiative to reroute Gulf cargo to Red Sea ports
- The initiative comes as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted by the widening conflict in the region
- Since the US and Israel struck Iran last month, Tehran has moved to restrict passage through the waterway
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has launched an initiative to redirect shipping from ports in the Arabian Gulf to its Red Sea ports amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.
Transport Minister Saleh Al-Jasser, who also chairs the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), launched the Logistics Corridors Initiative alongside Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority Governor Suhail Abanmi, Mawani President Suliman Al-Mazroua, and other officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The initiative will establish dedicated operational corridors to receive containers and cargo redirected from ports in the Kingdom's Eastern Region and other Gulf Cooperation Council states to Jeddah Islamic Port and other Red Sea coast ports.
Al-Jasser said the Kingdom was committed to ensuring supply-chain stability and the smooth flow of goods through global trade routes. Jeddah Islamic Port and other west coast ports, he added, were already playing a key role in accommodating shipments redirected from the east, while also linking Gulf cargo to regional and international markets.
The initiative comes as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted by the widening conflict in the region. Iran has long threatened to close the strait — the world's most critical oil and gas chokepoint, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass — in the event of a war.
Since the US and Israel struck Iran last month, Tehran has moved to restrict passage through the waterway, sending freight rates soaring and forcing shipping companies to seek alternative routes.
Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports offer a viable bypass, connecting Gulf cargo to global markets without passing through the strait.
