NEOM: NEOM announced on Thursday the NEOM Beach Games 2022, bringing leading sport events from more than 25 countries to the sustainable regional development taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia as it aims to become a hub for sport in the region.

The series of major sport events will launch on Oct. 19 and feature kitesurfing, triathlon, 3x3 basketball, beach soccer and mountain biking.

NEOM’s CEO, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, said: “We are delighted to host the NEOM Beach Games, which brings together local and international rights-holders for five globally popular sports in one diverse location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“NEOM is a place of unparalleled natural beauty and will be the ideal backdrop for what promises to be a period of exciting competition among world-class athletes competing in a variety of challenging sports.”

The event will start with World Cup kitesurfing over the first five days, followed by Olympic-level competition at the short-course triathlon on Oct. 29. Other events include an international 3x3 basketball tournament (Nov. 4-5) and a four-day beach soccer competition that will see 12 teams from around the world take part from Nov. 9.

NEOM will host teams from more than 25 nations across the four sports. The NEOM Beach Games 2022 will conclude on Dec. 9 with a three-day desert mountain bike race, which will host 220 male and female riders from around the world for a four-stage event, varying from 80 to120 km per stage.

Jan Paterson, managing director of Sport at NEOM, said: “We are excited to be hosting world-class events in NEOM as we aim to develop a sporting hub which will contribute to our evolving sport ecosystem. Partnering with key sporting bodies will strengthen our goals of building a high-performance culture and inspire the next generation of athletes across the region.”