RIYADH: Saudi women’s participation in sports has increased 149 percent in the past five years, Sports Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said during a virtual symposium organized by the London Business School Alumni Association in Riyadh.
He added that Saudi sports play an important role in achieving Vision 2030, namely in terms of diversifying the economy and building a vibrant society.
This, he said, is evident in the achievements of the Kingdom’s sports sector in the past few years, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Twenty-two women’s national teams in official regional championships in various sports have been established, in addition to the Women’s Football League.
“We’ve started establishing academies for children in all cities of the Kingdom to encourage them to play sports and build a strong foundation from which they can start,” the minister said. “After that, the process of exploring their potential begins.”
He spoke about the Kingdom’s hosting of international events and tournaments, and reiterated the importance of the private sector in the development of sports in Saudi Arabia.
Women’s sports participation up 149%: Saudi Sports Minister
https://arab.news/vjkss
Women’s sports participation up 149%: Saudi Sports Minister
- Twenty-two women’s national teams in official regional championships in various sports have been established, in addition to the Women’s Football League
‘Cake not hate’ campaign becomes ‘Dates not hate’ in Madinah
- Dan said he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality and that his family was warmly welcomed
- He said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam
LONDON: A British autistic and non-verbal boy who has been visiting UK mosques and distributing cakes to promote solidarity amid an increase in far-right support in the country has taken his message of love to Madinah.
Joshua Harris, or “The Joshie-Man” as the 12-year-old is known to his social media fans, has handed out hundreds of his baked goods to worshipers at mosques in major British cities over the last few months.
The “Cake not hate” campaign came about after an Islamophobic attack on a mosque in his home city of Peterborough in October 2025.
Harris and his father visited Masjid Darassalaam, the mosque that was targeted, with cakes that the boy had baked and distributed them to the congregation soon after the attack. Since then, Harris has visited dozens of mosques in the UK.
On a recent trip to the Middle East, he and his father visited Madinah. In a local twist that pays tribute to the holy city’s famous date varieties including ajwa and ambar, Harris handed out dates to people in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque. The “Cake not hate” campaign became “Dates not hate” for Saudi Arabia.
“He was greeted really, really warmly. There were some really touching moments where people were kissing his hands and his head. It was really lovely,” his father, Dan Harris, said.
Dan, the founder of global charity Neurodiversity in Business, said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam.
“We met people from all around the world. It was amazing. It’s like the United Nations there, you get people from different countries and it just goes to show you that the Muslim community, or the Ummah more generally, is not a homogeneous group,” he said.
“We saw people from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and it was really interesting for us.”
Dan said his visit to Madinah, considered the second holiest city in Islam after Makkah for Muslims, was “profound and life-changing.”
He added: “I would say it’s my favourite city in the world due to the peace and tranquillity I felt there.”
Dan added that he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality: “Everywhere we went, people were taking down my number and insisting that we come for dinner, insisting they pick us up from the location. They were extremely attentive to Joshie as well, making sure his needs were met. We felt a great sense of welcome, something Saudi Arabia is known for.”
