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The Saudi Sports Minister and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki. / CFP
The Saudi Sports Minister and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki. / CFP
The Saudi Sports Minister and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic Committee, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki, expressed his country’s wishes and support for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
After meeting Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Chen Weiqing, this week, Abdulaziz praised China’s rich experience in hosting several major international sporting events. He said he believes China will be able to overcome the difficulties caused by COVID-19 and hold simple, safe and great winter games.
As a country that is 95 percent desert, Saudi Arabia is not known for winter sports. However, the country will make a difference in 2022 by sending athletes to the Winter Games for the first time in history.
“Saudi Arabia will be sending athletes to the Beijing Winter Olympics for the first time and we are very proud of that,” said Abdulaziz.
The Saudi Winter Sports Federation (SWSF) hired coaches from Europe to train their bobsleigh team, held a summer training camp in the Swiss Alps and tried to recruit skiers and snowboarders via social media platforms in May.
“We are looking for stars who have athletic skills, are talented, fast and powerful and have a desire to push their boundaries to represent their country,” SWSF President Ahmed Shaher Al-Tabbaa told Arab News.
Logo of the 2022 Winter Olympics / CFP
Logo of the 2022 Winter Olympics / CFP
In order to promote winter sports in the country, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the construction of the largest indoor ski slope in the region is planned in a shopping center in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
The SWSF has selected eight athletes for Beijing 2022. Qualification will not be easy for them. For example, snowboarders must finish multiple races as the top 32 events in order to secure a spot in the Winter Olympics.
Canada coach Jeff Books told WSJ that it is “achievable” for Saudi athletes to qualify for the Winter Games, but “some moons need to line up for this to work”.
“We’ll train, and if we get one percent improvement every day, we’ll be good,” said snowboarder Yousif Kurdi.
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