RIYADH: Al-Nassr women’s volleyball team successfully defended their Saudi Games title on Friday, beating Al-Ula in a one-way final.
Ahlam Al-Omari from the board of the Saudi Volleyball Federation, presented the gold medals to the winners after their three-set (25-10, 25-17, 25-13) victory.
Samira Asghari, from the International Olympic Committee, and Hanan Al-Qahtani, from the Saudi Volleyball Federation, watched the match, which was held at the Ministry of Sports Hall at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex in Riyadh.
Al-Ula won silver, while Al-Fayhaa took bronze after defeating Al-Anqa 3-0.
In the swimming pool, Al-Qadsiah Club won gold in the men’s 4x100-meter medley relay, while Al-Hilal Club took silver and Al-Adalah Club bronze.
In the men’s 200-meter backstroke, Al-Fateh Club’s Patrick Zymek won the gold medal, ahead of Al-Qadsiah’s Ali Al-Essa and Abdulmajid Al-Marwani of Al-Khaleej.
Farouk Al-Jidaily of Al-Ahli won gold in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, while Alexander Younis of Aqua Falcon Academy took silver and Mohammed Al-Zaki of Al-Adalah bronze.
Ahmed Al-Qudmani, president of the Saudi Swimming Federation, handed out the swimming medals at an event attended by British Olympic swimming champion and Paris 2024 Olympic silver medal winner Adam Peaty.
In the badminton competition, Muqrin Al-Muqrin, president of the Saudi Badminton Federation, handed out the medals to the winners of the men’s and women’s singles events, which concluded at Boulevard 4.
Khadija Niza, of Al-Ittihad, won gold in the women’s competition, while Aerial Vinoflor of Al-Faisaly took silver and Sin Chengari of Al-Salamiya won bronze.
In the men’s event, Shamil Motamil of Al-Hilal won gold, Adnan Hassan of Al-Nassr took silver and Mahd Sheikh of Al-Riyadh won bronze.
Prince Saud bin Jalawi, governor of Jeddah, crowned the winners of the coastal rowing competition, which ran for two days at Obhur Corniche.
Rakan Ali Reda took gold in the men’s category, ahead of Turki Al-Aref and Moayad Al-Rshidi.
In the women’s event, Haya Al-Mami won gold ahead of Israa Qadri and Yusra Malaika.
The Saudi Games are being held for the third year, with 9,000 athletes representing 200 clubs competing in 52 sports. Gold medal winners also pick up a cash prize of SR1 million ($266,000), silver medal winners SR300,000 and bronze medal winners SR100,000.
Al-Nassr retain women’s volleyball title at Saudi Games
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Al-Nassr retain women’s volleyball title at Saudi Games
- Al-Qadsiah Club take swimming gold in men’s 4x100 medley relay
- Al-Fateh Club’s Patrick Zymek wins gold in 200-meter backstroke event
Status of Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in doubt less than 2 weeks before start in Morocco
- “The matter is receiving urgent and high level attention,” September said on X
- “We will never be held hostage by countries that have less than what we have,” McKenzie said
CAIRO: Doubts over Morocco’s willingness to host the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in less than two weeks have prompted the Confederation of African Football to say it will clarify the matter in the coming days.
“There has been several discussions for weeks. The matter is receiving urgent and high level attention,” CAF’s communications chief Luxolo September said on the social network X on Wednesday.
Morocco is due to host the tournament for the third time straight from March 17 to April 3, but reports that the country will withdraw have persisted despite CAF president Patrice Motsepe saying on Feb. 13 that the 16th edition of the tournament was to go ahead in the kingdom as planned.
“We still have an engagement with Morocco,” Motsepe said at the time, when he ruled out changing the dates because the tournament doubles as a qualifying event for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
South Africa previously offered to step in as host.
On Wednesday, South African sports minister Gayton McKenzie blasted Morocco for leaving the status of the tournament in doubt 13 days before it is due to begin.
“If Morocco is ready to host the WAFCON because they had a brilliant AFCON, they should do so. But if they are not ready, we want to tell them, we are not a country with no stadiums, we are not a country with less infrastructure. We will never be held hostage by countries that have less than what we have,” McKenzie said. “We will not allow women to be treated in such a fashion.”
CAF expanded the tournament to 16 teams in a surprise decision in November.
Nigeria are the defending champion after coming back to beat Morocco 3-2 in the final last year.
Morocco also lost the final of the men’s Africa Cup to Senegal in January.
The ambitious kingdom is also a co-host for the men’s World Cup in 2030.
