Saudi Arabia is heading to Tokyo 2020 with its largest ever Olympic Games delegation of athletes following 11 previous participations that began in 1976 in Montreal.
A total of 33 athletes, 31 male and two female, will represent the Kingdom in the Games, which start on July 23 and run until Aug. 8.
Of these, 22 make up the under-23 football squad, with the other 11 competitors taking part in nine other sports.
The number of sports the Kingdom will compete in also beats the previous high by a Saudi delegation, which was six at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
On Monday, judoka Tahani Al-Qahtani became the latest Saudi athlete to confirm her place in Tokyo, joining Sulaiman Hamad in the judo competition; Siraj Al-Saleem and Mahmoud Al-Ahmeed in weightlifting; Husein Alireza in rowing; Tarek Hamdi in karate; Youssef Bouarish in swimming; Ali Al-Khadrawi in table tennis; Saeed Al-Mutairi in shooting; and runners Yasmine Al-Dabbagh and Mazen Al-Yassin in athletics, as well as the 22 players who will represent the Saudi Olympic football team.
Saudi Arabia sending biggest ever Olympics delegation to Tokyo
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Saudi Arabia sending biggest ever Olympics delegation to Tokyo
- The 33, including the 22-man football squad, will compete in nine different sports, also a Saudi record
Rajkovic excels as Al-Ittihad cruise to victory against Al-Shabab
- Al-Ittihad secure fifth Saudi Pro League win of the season with a 2-0 victory
JEDDAH: It has not been the start to the season that Al-Ittihad fans had anticipated. Nevertheless, on their return to Saudi Pro League action after a 36-day hiatus, the defending champions delivered a performance that offered renewed confidence ahead of a demanding run of seven matches in the space of 30 days.
The opening exchanges proved far from straightforward for The Tigers.
Attempting to play out from the back, they were punished within the first two minutes as Abdullah Matuq pounced on a mistake to find himself one-on-one with Predrag Rajkovic, only for the Serbian goalkeeper to produce the first of several crucial saves. Just 60 seconds later, Rajkovic was called into action again, this time denying a header from a corner.
Momentum soon shifted. Roger Fernandes began to cause problems down the left wing, his quick footwork getting the better of Al-Shabab’s defence before he delivered a low cross into the box. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, aided by Karim Benzema’s intelligent screening of Saad Balobaid, met it to open the scoring in the 16th minute.
Al-Ittihad came close to doubling their advantage in the 28th minute. Mohannad Al-Shangeeti struck the far post with a powerful effort, before his follow-up attempt narrowly missed the target, drifting wide of Marcelo Grohe’s goal.
Grohe was later called upon to keep Al-Shabab in the contest, producing a fine save in the 58th minute to deny Benzema after the Frenchman was released by a perfectly weighted pass from Steven Bergwijn.
Al-Ittihad continued to dominate possession, though Imanol Alguacil’s side managed to limit Fernandes’ influence by committing extra defensive cover on the left flank.
That adjustment failed to account for Al-Shangeeti’s runs from deep, as he surged down the right to find Bergwijn, who finished first time to seal the contest for the hosts in the 85th minute.
Late substitute Abdulaziz Al-Bishi thought he had added a third in the closing stages, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The win lifts Al-Ittihad into sixth place on 17 points, while Al-Shabab remain just two points above the relegation zone, extending their winless run to eight matches since their Matchday 2 victory over Al-Hazem.
