LONDON: International cross-country rallying is returning to Saudi Arabia with the final two rounds of the 2020 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas in Hail and a further round in the 2021 series, it was announced on Wednesday.
In a motorsport season heavily affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with numerous events around the world canceled or rescheduled, Saudi Arabia will now host Baja Hail with a new format that includes back-to-back Baja events.
The Saudi races will be scheduled as the fifth and sixth rounds of the 2020 series on Dec. 10-12 and Dec. 14-16.
The close proximity of both events to the second running of the Dakar Rally in the Kingdom in January will enable teams to round off a shortened season of Baja-type events, but also provide opportunities to carry out pre-Dakar testing and development in a familiar racing environment.
Saudi Arabian Motoring Federation President Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal has also confirmed that the Kingdom will host the Sharqiya Baja on March 4-6, 2021, a new event for the FIA that slots into its international calendar.
The first Sharqiya Baja ran as the fifth round of the Saudi Desert Rally Championship last autumn, and will be fine-tuned and modified to the exacting standards of the FIA, Prince Khalid said.
“Saudi Arabia will host the Dakar Rally for the second time at the start of 2021, but we are delighted to be able to announce that we will host three forthcoming events that will form crucial rounds of the FIA Baja Championship,” he added.
“We are blessed with amazing terrain for cross-country rallying in the Kingdom, and it is a privilege for Saudi Arabia to be now included in the official FIA calendars.
“This is a major step forward for Saudi motorsport, and runs hand-in-hand with the great vision and foresight of our wise leadership and the Ministry of Sport to develop sporting events and tourism across the realm.”
December’s back-to-back Hail events will round off a modified 2020 Baja series that started in Russia in February before continuing in Poland in September.
It will head to Portugal and Dubai in November before concluding in Saudi Arabia in December.
Hail Bajas will run under the supervision of the Hail Regional Development Authority in cooperation with the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage and the General Authority for Sport.
Saudi Arabia’s Hail to host final two rounds of FIA Baja series
https://arab.news/mw8mc
Saudi Arabia’s Hail to host final two rounds of FIA Baja series
- Saudi Arabia will now host Baja Hail with a new format that includes back-to-back Baja events
- Saudi races will be scheduled as the fifth and sixth rounds of the 2020 series
Riyadh stages LIV Golf opener as league navigates change in 2026
- Ben An: Night golf adds character to this event. It’s similar to night racing in F1, so I think it’ll be good for golf too
- Michael La Sasso: Being able to travel the world at such a young age, I couldn’t pass up this experience
RIYADH: The 2026 LIV Golf League gets underway in Riyadh this Wednesday, marking the start of a new season that will see the tour adopt a four-day, 72-hole format for the first time since its launch in 2022.
Despite the structural change, much of the early attention has focused on the departures of high-profile players such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, who recently confirmed that he will not return this season. LIV Golf players, however, insist their focus remains firmly on the campaign ahead.
At the league’s pre-season press conference, Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm addressed Reed’s move.
“I wish Patrick Reed nothing but the best,” Rahm said. “Everyone is free to choose wherever they want to play golf.
“He’s been playing fantastic golf, and if he wants to go back (to the PGA Tour), he can choose to do so.”
The opening event in Riyadh will again feature play under the lights — a format that has become one of LIV Golf’s most distinctive traits.
“It’s just a case of getting used to the night golf,” said Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton. Rahm agreed, noting that while the concept was enjoyable, consistently staging events after dark brought its own challenges.
For Tom McKibbin, playing under the lights initially came as a surprise but left a lasting impression during his first appearance in Riyadh last season.
“I don’t think any other golf event has been played in the dark — it was very new for me,” McKibbin said. “But I enjoyed playing under the lights, and it made for a cool first experience.”
Korean Golf Club member Ben An echoed that sentiment, suggesting the format added a new dimension to the sport.
“Night golf adds character to this event,” he said. “It’s similar to night racing in F1, so I think it’ll be good for golf too.”
Beyond the format, several players highlighted the competitive environment and global travel as key reasons for committing to LIV.
“I say this with no disrespect to other tours, but you only face the top players two to three times a year at a major,” said Richard Bland of Cleeks GC. “Here, you get to play against the likes of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau 14 to 15 times a year.”
For younger players, including 21-year-old Michael La Sasso, the international nature of the tour has been a major draw.
“Being able to travel the world at such a young age, I couldn’t pass up this experience,” La Sasso told Arab News. “The amount I’ll be able to learn just by being here — it’s hard to express how cool it really is.
“As a 21-year-old, I get to see different cultures on a regular basis. Even seeing camels in Riyadh this week was pretty cool.”
LIV Golf opens for the second consecutive season under the Riyadh Golf Club lights from Feb. 4 to 7. Adrian Meronk of Cleeks GC returns as defending individual champion after finishing 17 under par last year, while Legion XIII claimed the team title with a total of 50 under par.
The tour moves on just seven days later, with its second event taking place in Adelaide — one of the most anticipated stops on the LIV calendar.
