RIYADH: Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi minister of sports and president of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, attended the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin on Saturday — on behalf of KIng Salman — at the city’s Olympic Stadium.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially inaugurated the event, which began with a procession of the participating countries, including Saudi Arabia, followed by a speech delivered by Dr. Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.
The ceremony was also attended by Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal, president of the Saudi Arabian Sports for All Federation; Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, vice president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee; Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Sultan, Saudi ambassador to Germany; Adwa Al-Arifi, board member of the Olympic Committee; Abdulaziz Baeshen, CEO and secretary-general of the committee; and Maha Al-Juffali, president of the Special Olympics Federation.
Saudi Arabia is represented at the event by 85 athletes participating in 15 sports, including handball, basketball, judo, bowling, football, equestrian, badminton, volleyball, beach volleyball, bocce, athletics, cycling, weightlifting, table tennis, and swimming.
Prince Al-Faisal met Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, and the parties discussed avenues for potential cooperation, as well as strategies to develop Paralympic sports in Saudi Arabia. The prince later presented Parsons with a commemorative gift.
Al-Faisal also engaged in discussions with Ayman Abdel Wahab, president of Special Olympics Middle East and North Africa, regarding developments in the Kingdom and the broader Middle East region.
Al-Faisal expressed his deep gratitude to the Saudi leadership for its unwavering interest and support for the sports sector in the Kingdom.
He emphasized that such attention, support, and collaborative efforts had led to a substantial increase in the percentage of people engaging in sports and physical activities on a weekly basis. The figure now stands at 48 percent of the total population — compared to 19 percent in 2019 — enjoying a minimum of 30 minutes of activity per week.
He said that the percentage of people engaging in physical activity for 150 minutes each week had increased from 20 percent in 2019 to 29 percent in 2021.
The progress contributes to one of the pillars of Vision 2030, which aims to create a vibrant society that appreciates the importance of sports and encourages regular physical activity.
Al-Faisal extended his good wishes to participating Saudi athletes at the event.
The Special Olympics World Games continues until June 25 and features more than 7,000 athletes from more than 190 countries, competing in 26 different sports.
