RIYADH: The Saudi Sports for All Federation signed a memorandum of understanding with ASICS, the leading sportswear company, to bolster the Kingdom’s sports infrastructure and aid its transformation into a leading sports hub.

The agreement was announced at a ceremony at the Saudi Ministry of Sport.

The collaboration will see both entities join forces to launch a range of initiatives. This will encompass knowledge-sharing and the exchange of expertise across a diversity of fields, including developing sports groups, events, marketing research, and more. As part of its commitment towards nurturing youth and the development of society through sports — and in line with its “a Sound Mind, in a Sound Body” philosophy — ASICS aims to help create wide-ranging opportunities for Saudi people to participate in training and sports programs.

SFA Managing Director Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with ASICS to build on our work and enhance our sporting provisions. ASICS’s philosophy is very much in sync with ours, enabling us to forge a truly productive collaboration that will create a healthier, fitter and more active Saudi Arabia. Together, we will empower more people to lead better, happier lives.”

The collaboration forms part of the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, which aims to facilitate public and private sector involvement between the two countries by aligning and reporting on strategic initiatives that contribute to the objectives of each country’s national growth and development strategies.

Mano Takayuki, general manager of ASICS Arabia, said: “At ASICS, we believe movement and sports have the power to uplift communities and, together with SFA, we are looking forward to acting on our ‘a Sound Mind, in a Sound Body’ philosophy and inspire Saudi to move more and feel the positive uplift that sports and movement have on the body and the mind.”

Both parties will also collaborate to curate an ongoing section of events and experiences promoting community sports. They will also collaborate on joint marketing and communications initiatives, launching strategic campaigns to raise awareness of the benefit of exercise.

The collaboration adds to SFA’s ongoing efforts to raise physical activity levels in the Kingdom in accordance with Vision 2030 and the Quality of Life Program. The federation is committed to empowering 40 percent of people across the country to participate in daily sports by the end of the decade.