Ahmed Al-Sabban has been the president of the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation since 2017.
As a young boy raised in Taif, Al-Sabban stumbled upon fencing by chance when a trainer at the Air Forces Sports Venue (where his father worked) asked him to give it a shot. While preparing for his first session, he found the mask and sword at his home as he discovered his father was also a fencer.
In 1984, he set a goal to become part of the Kingdom’s national team and make it proud.
Al-Sabban fulfilled his dream in 1987 when he played his first match with the national team. In 1989, he was dubbed the “youngest player” in the national team.
His shift into motorsports came from his love for the sport by riding with former Saudi motorsport champion Mamdouh Khayat in 1988. Three years later, a friend convinced him to try rallying, along with his father who pushed him to quit fencing and focus on motorsports in 1997. He continued rallying until 2016.
Al-Sabban obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a diploma in marketing from the American University of Beirut in 1998.
In 2014, he joined the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation as a member of its board of directors. Two years later, he was promoted to vice president, and in 2017 he became its president.
The sportsman learned teamwork and leadership skills through motorsports, while fencing helped him how to become a champion.
His favorite advice to budding sportsmen is to set a goal and a long-term strategy to achieve it.