RIYADH: Rousing live performances by Saudi singers on Tuesday brought the curtain down on one of the Kingdom’s largest national sporting events.
Following the presentation of awards to winners and participants, the closing ceremony of the Saudi Games saw stars Rabeh Saqer, Dalia Mubarak, Bader Al-Shaeebi, Zena Emad, and Ayed take to the stage in Diriyah.
In a speech, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, vice president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and director of the Saudi Games, thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their ongoing support of the country’s sports sector.
He said: “The conclusion may be the title of this day, but in fact, today is only the beginning of a new story titled a dream come true toward a new sporting future that we are waiting for and waiting to propel us forward for many years.”
Nouf Al-Ghamdi, 24, who watched the closing ceremony with her sisters and mother, said: “I attended a few of the sporting events of the games. One of my friends is a bowling player so I went to support her during her match during the first days of the games.
“The closing ceremony was breathtaking, and it was great to see all of the talented athletes of Saudi Arabia celebrating this momentous event.”
The first Saudi Games got underway on Oct. 27 and have involved more than 6,000 athletes competing in 45 different sports as individuals and teams. Five paralympic events also took place.
The opening ceremony was held at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh and competitions have included wrestling, beach volleyball, billiards, basketball, baloot, cycling, padel, tennis, and weightlifting.
Two national swimming records were broken during the games. Yousif Buareesh set a new record of 24.4 seconds in the men’s 50-meter butterfly and Ali Alessa smashed another time by completing the men’s 200m backstroke in two minutes and 10 seconds.
Meanwhile, Rakan Ali Reda and Kariman Abu Aljadayel both took gold in the men’s and women’s indoor rowing competitions.
In weightlifting, Dalal Al-Momin won the women’s gold, while Hassan Al-Radhi came first in the men’s contest.
Alexandre Younes, Mohammed Boksmati, Yousuf Al-Yousuf, and Natheer Al-Hamoud were gold-medal winners in their respective swimming events.
Mohammed Hussein Al-Harbi came out top in the para table tennis competition and among other successes bowlers Abdulrahman Abdulwahab and Irene Nestor Tomolva were victorious in their men’s and women’s classes.
The Saudi Games concluded on Monday with the finals of the athletics, jiu-jitsu, para-athletics, sailing, triathlon, table tennis, and wheelchair basketball competitions.
