193 Saudi athletes prepare to compete in 19 sports at Asian Games

Emblem of Hangzhou 2022. supplied
Short Url
Updated 29 August 2023
Follow

193 Saudi athletes prepare to compete in 19 sports at Asian Games

Riyadh: Teams from Saudi Arabia are preparing to take part in the 19th Asian Games 2022, due to get underway in the Chinese city of Hangzhou next month.

More than 12,000 male and female athletes representing 45 Asian countries are expected to participate in the sporting spectacular running from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.

The Kingdom will be represented by 193 athletes competing in 19 events, namely football, basketball, handball, athletics, equestrian, archery, fencing, shooting, rowing, weightlifting, boxing, taekwondo, jujitsu, karate, kurash, table tennis, tennis, golf, and esports.

The Saudi teams have been attending training camps in preparation for the Asian Games at which sportspeople from the Kingdom have won a total of 61 medals — 25 gold, 13 silver, and 23 bronze — since Bangkok 1978.

The breakdown of medals is as follows: one bronze in New Delhi 1982, one silver in Seoul 1986, one bronze in Beijing 1990, one gold, three silver, and five bronze in Hiroshima 1994, seven gold, one silver, and one bronze in Busan 2002, eight gold, and six bronze in Doha 2006, five gold, three silver, and five bronze in Guangzhou 2010, three gold, three silver, and one bronze in Incheon 2014, and one gold, two silver, and three bronze in Jakarta 2018.


Rhodes leads after second round of PIF Saudi Ladies International

Updated 13 February 2026
Follow

Rhodes leads after second round of PIF Saudi Ladies International

  • 2025 LET Rookie of the Year leads in PIF Global Series 2026 opener
  • WiMENA panels gather trailblazing women to spark dialogue

RIYADH: England’s Mimi Rhodes backed up a stellar opening in round two of the PIF Saudi Ladies International at Riyadh Golf Club, moving into an outright lead and fending off advances from South Africa’s Casandra Alexander and Chizzy Iwai of Japan. 

The 24-year-old, who was the Ladies European Tour’s 2025 Rookie of the Year, posted a score of 69 to move to an overall total of 11-under-par to lead by one.

Another former LET Rookie of the Year, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who now has 12 professional wins, sits one shot further back in tied fourth alongside Japan’s Rio Takeda. Eight players are tied for sixth and England’s Charley Hull lies four back from her compatriot alongside past champion Patty Tavatanakit.

Reflecting on her mindset, and how she has approached the week so far, Rhodes said: “Honestly, I was so excited. Having two months off competitive golf, it’s so long, but I just got back into the swing of things.

“Holing putts is my main goal out there and having the greens rolling really nicely is definitely an advantage for that. I’m just taking it chilled out there and being patient.

“I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself, but obviously it’s a big event, one of the PIF Global Series, so I wanted to do well, and start with a cut made. I’ve done more than that. I think I can be proud of myself and now (I will) just see what happens. I’m happy.”

The second day of the event highlighted Golf Saudi’s investment in the future of women’s sport with the WiMENA (Women in Middle East and North Africa) panels, which included pioneering Saudi athletes such as Kariman Abuljadayel, the trailblazing sprinter who set a Guinness World Record for the 10 km open water row. Joining her were Razan Al-Ajmi, Saudi Arabia's first female skydiver, members of the Saudi national rugby team and other prominent Olympians and sports figures.

Ameera Marghalani, a pioneering female Saudi rugby national team member, said: “I want to see the support for sports grow exponentially across the country.

“My vision is to see more young girls and women joining the sporting community, not just in major cities but across every corner of Saudi Arabia.”