Meet the Saudis making history at the Special Olympics

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The Saudi Arabia delegation arrived in the UAE earlier this month for the games.
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The Saudi Arabia delegation arrived in the UAE earlier this month for the games.
Updated 14 March 2019
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Meet the Saudis making history at the Special Olympics

  • They will join thousands of athletes at World Games Abu Dhabi, the first to be held in the MENA region
  • And in another first, female athletes will be part of the Saudi delegation, which is participating in 10 sports

ABU DHABI: The athletes have landed, the symbolic torch has arrived, and hundreds of thousands of visitors have descended on the UAE capital as the Special Olympics World Games are set to start in Abu Dhabi on Thursday — the first time the event has been staged in the region in its 50-year history.

Between now and March 21, more than 7,500 athletes, representing more than 190 nations, will participate in 24 officially sanctioned Olympic-style sports throughout Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Saudi Arabia delegation, which features female athletes for the first time since the country joined in 1994, arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport earlier this month and will be participating in an array of sports including basketball, bowling, swimming and table tennis.

The Games will officially get underway with a traditional opening ceremony at Zayed Sports City Stadium on Thursday, where the Saudi athletes will join others in flying their country’s flags. A host of global superstars, including Avril Lavigne, Luis Fonsi, Hussain Al-Jassmi, Tamer Hosny, Assala Nasri and DJ Paul Oakenfold will perform in a ceremony that will be broadcast live to millions around the world.

Organizers of the event, the first to be staged in the Middle East and North Africa, hope to redefine the boundaries of what is possible for those living with disabilities, with the inclusion of people of determination with intellectual disabilities in every aspect of the event.  


Samia Siddiq, basketball

When Samia Siddiq found out that she would be representing Saudi Arabia in the Special Olympics World Games, her heart started beating very fast. 

“I was so happy,” she recalled with a smile. “So happy and excited, and I felt that there was an adventure waiting.”

Siddiq, who will be competing in basketball in the Games, said her love of sports started at the age of three when she was involved in swimming. This passion for sport grew, and she began bowling and playing hockey. 

“I love doing any kind of sport because I feel I can be active,” Siddiq said. With basketball, she loves the team aspect. “I feel empowered when I play. I like to run and I feel that there are people around me. It’s a team I can rely on and trust.” As she plays, she has a goal of getting the ball into the net. 

“I dribble and shoot and aim, and when it works I feel proud,” says Siddiq, a graduate of the Help Center in Jeddah. “When I score, I feel like I want to score more. It pushes me to do even more and do better for my team.” 

As for the Special Olympics, Siddiq cannot wait to be involved, she said with a grin. “I do hope to win, of course.” 

Described by those who know her as imaginative, talkative and good with children, Siddiq likes to spend her spare time with her family. “I talk to my brothers about vacations and what I’m doing. They always support me. I play with them, and we play hide-and-seek or games.” Her mother, she explained, is her biggest supporter and someone who always encourages her to do more. 


Abdulmalik Almuhayfith, roller skating 

When he’s perched on top of roller skates, speeding around corners or whipping through fast moves, Abdulmalik Almuhayfith doesn’t feel fear.

“I feel sort of relieved and comfortable — roller skating is like getting balanced and finding balance,”
Almuhayfith, an athlete with autism,” said. It is a sport in which he has been excelling at for years. During the Special Olympics in South Korea in 2013, Almuhayfith took home a gold medal. It’s one of his favorite memories. 

“My father was training me when my coach said that I would be participating in the Special Olympics,” recalls Almuhayfith. “Then during the Games, I won a gold medal, which gave me a level of happiness I can’t describe. One gold and one silver, and I was so happy.” He also took home a medal at the Special Olympics in Austria in 2017.

Almuhayfith lights up when talking about roller skating. Over the past four years, he has worked on improving his speed. 

For aspiring roller-skating athletes, Almuhayfith recommends pacing yourself. “You need to learn gradually, because this kind of sport requires time. Each athlete has to go slowly and work through the phases.”
 
He is particularly excited about these Special Olympics World Games. “I felt so happy that I qualified and so proud of it. I hope to win in Abu Dhabi, and to show the strength of the Arab world while representing Saudi Arabia.” 


Maan Alkhidhr, basketball

When Maan Alkhidhr is in his basketball team, he feels strong.

“Like there’s a sense of trust and harmony between all of us,” says the athlete. “I see my teammates playing in harmony and I want to give the best I can, and to do more so we reach the goal we’re all trying to reach.” 
It’s this team spirit and drive that will see the 25-year-old representing Saudi Arabia in the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. 

At the age of six months, Alkhidhr was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and a heart condition and given a life expectancy of 12 months. Now Alkhidhr is just months away from his 26th birthday. 

He was born and raised in the small town of Sakaka in the northern part of Saudi Arabia, His parents didn’t have access to facilities or school programs that were needed to support Alkhidhr’s condition. His mother educated herself to give her son the best help possible. She used to travel to Jeddah, and sometimes across the border to Jordan, to buy books that gave her guidance on how to support Alkhidhr. 

By the time he was seven, Alkhidhr had started swimming. He trained with his family cheering and swimming beside him. They are his greatest supporters. 

“My mother is always there for me. She hopes that I reach a good position and do better things,” says Alkhidhr with a smile. “With God’s will, I have reached this kind of sport, and the opportunities that basketball has provided me are many. I’m meeting more people from outside the country, I’m traveling more, and I’m making friends.” 


Faisal Algosaibi, swimming

When Faisal Algosaibi won his first gold medal in swimming at an international competition in Los Angeles in 2015, his father, Adel Algosaibi, felt stunned. Algosaibi’s name flashed on the arena’s board, and for a moment his father thought there must be some mistake. Of course, they had trained for it and they had hoped for it. But for it to happen was something else entirely. 

Then Algosaibi went on to win two more medals. “For me, at that moment, that’s when my life really started,” said his father. 

Now Algosaibi will be heading to the Special Olympics World Games on behalf of Saudi Arabia. He will be swimming while his father cheers from the sidelines. Together they make a powerful sporting duo, one with bonds strengthened through sport. 

Algosaibi, an athlete with Down syndrome, is often quiet — he didn’t start speaking until he was in his teens — but cheerful. 

Algosaibi began to swim when he was 16. “I don’t like swimming myself,” said his father. “But I learned to swim the best that I could, so that I could transfer what I know to him, and be his friend in swimming. Gradually I found out that he likes this sport.” 

Eventually, Algosaibi upgraded to a professional coach in Dammam. “Day by day, hour by hour, he improved,” his father said. 

All the practice led Algosaibi to a regional competition in Egypt in 2014, followed by an international competition in Los Angeles in 2015, and more competitions in Oman and Abu Dhabi. Over the years, Algosaibi has won 16 medals. His hope at the World Games is to earn even more. 

There are challenges, his father acknowledges. “Still society doesn’t understand individuals who face challenges, not yet. If we go to a shopping center, people are still looking at his face. So I’m trying to change it.” 

Part of this involves changing the equation. “I explained to Faisal that they are staring because they are proud of you and the medals you have won for your country. This has helped him understand and shift the sadness in his heart to happiness.” 


Juri Alquthmi, athletics 

Juri Alquthmi looks like an average lanky teenager. Yet this bubbly athlete will be representing Saudi Arabia at the Special Olympics World Games in athletics, competing against hundreds of others in an effort to take home medals for her Kingdom — and, she explains repeatedly, for her family. “I really, really want to make my mom happy,” says Alquthmi. “I want to make her proud.” 

Alquthmi, 12, is a runner with an intellectual disability who practices for two hours every day, working on a mix of swimming, cardio and running, focusing often on strengthening her legs. The latter is necessary; she is underweight with weakened muscles.

“When I was told I would represent Saudi Arabia in the Games, I felt real happiness,” Alquthmi said with a grin. Those who know her describe Alquthmi as charismatic and social, easy to talk to and naturally curious. “I want to go and participate so I can make my mom proud. My mom will cheer for me. This makes me happy.” 

Swimming in the deep does make her feel a little afraid, Alquthmi acknowledged. But her brother is helping her learn and she likes being in the water. 

Training has helped Alquthmi to make and grow friendships. She likes to work out with the other girls on the team. Yet most of all, Alquthmi loves making her mom happy.

“I want to make her proud,” said the beaming teenager. “I hope to win for her.” 


Saudi tech diplomat meets Iraqi PM to discuss digital cooperation

Updated 4 sec ago
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Saudi tech diplomat meets Iraqi PM to discuss digital cooperation

  • Deemah Al-Yahya, head of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, commended Iraq’s investment in human capital as driver for growth and expansion of digital economy
  • Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy

RIYADH: Saudi senior tech diplomat Deemah Al-Yahya, the secretary-general of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, held talks on Monday with Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, about support for Baghdad’s plans to develop its digital business and artificial intelligence sectors.

They discussed Iraq’s strategy for digital transformation, and the need to create and develop a workforce with the tech skills required to help grow the Iraqi economy effectively, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Though Iraq is not a member of the DCO, an international body that focuses on the digital economy, Al-Sudani said his country is keen to work with the organization to meet the nation’s needs for a skilled workforce in the business sector.

Al-Yahya commended Iraq for the progress it has already made in terms of investment in the human capital needed to develop the digital skills that are essential to drive growth in a digitized economy.

Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy. Authorities this month organized the first Digital Space Iraq Forum, which focused on the use of advanced technologies, including AI, to help build a comprehensive digital economy.

The DCO says that since it was founded in November 2020, it has been at the forefront of efforts to curate policies and initiatives to support the digital economy in several countries. Currently, 16 nations are members, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Oman. It also has 39 observer partner organizations.

DCO member states have a collective gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion and serve a combined market of nearly 800 million people, more than 70 percent of whom are under the age of 35.


Saudi FM pushes for regional stability at G7-Arab foreign ministers meeting

Updated 51 min 41 sec ago
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Saudi FM pushes for regional stability at G7-Arab foreign ministers meeting

  • In his address, Prince Faisal highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in an expanded session of the second meeting between G7 foreign ministers and their counterparts from Arab nations on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting was hosted in Italy under the theme “Together for the Stability of the Middle East.”

The session, which addressed pressing regional and international challenges, was held with the participation of Saudi, Jordanian, Emirati, Qatari and Egyptian officials, as well as the secretary-general of the Arab League.

In his address, Prince Faisal emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships to address these challenges effectively.

He highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon, urging the international community to act immediately to secure a ceasefire, facilitate unrestricted humanitarian aid, and progress toward establishing an independent Palestinian state.

He also called for respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty, and renewed international efforts to resolve the crisis in Sudan and alleviate the resulting human suffering.

The meeting was also attended by Prince Faisal bin Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi ambassador to Italy, the SPA reported.


Scientists awarded for sustainable water innovation at Saudi conference

Updated 25 November 2024
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Scientists awarded for sustainable water innovation at Saudi conference

  • Research aims to improve desalination efficiency
  • Makkah’s deputy emir in attendance

JEDDAH: Scientists were awarded prizes for their work in researching desalination and wastewater treatment technologies during an event in Jeddah on Monday.

The third edition of the Innovation-Driven Water Sustainability Conference was attended by 480 experts, scientists, researchers, specialists and 40 leading organizations in the water sector, from 20 countries.

The grand prize — the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024 — went to Lee Nuang Sim from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University for his project “uncovering the power of centrifugal reverse osmosis,” and Sue Mecham, CEO of NALA Membranes, for her project “chlorine stable new membranes for sustainable desalination and wastewater treatment/reuse.”

Visitors attend the third Innovation-Driven Water Sustainability Conference in Jeddah on Nov. 25, 2024. (Supplied)

Mecham, from North Carolina, US, spoke to Arab News after receiving her award, saying: “We are honored to be selected for the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024. Our mission is to bring new membranes to market and reduce the cost and complexity of water purification.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Ghadeer Al-Balawi from the University of Tabuk was another one of this year’s prizewinners with her project “novel heterogeneous catalysts for improving wastewater treatment plants in Saudi Arabia.”

Al-Balawi told Arab News: “I am incredibly honored to be one of the recipients of the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024. This recognition means so much to me. This project has been conducted at the University of Sheffield with hard work and dedication with the assistance of my supervisor, Dr. Marco Conte.”

The event’s opening ceremony was attended by Makkah Deputy Emir Prince Saud bin Mishal and Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, as well as other senior officials.

Following the opening, Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim, chairman of the Saudi Water Authority, said that the event reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting scientific and research innovation as a pillar for achieving water sustainability and security.

Through the conference, the SWA aims to share the impact of innovation in promoting the sustainable supply of water, according to SWA spokesperson Sultan Al-Rajhi.

“This conference discusses the latest global practices and innovative solutions in the water industry, with the participation of experts, scientists and specialists, who emphasize the pivotal role of innovation in accelerating the future prosperity of water and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for water and the environment,” he said.

The two-day conference will continue to feature discussions on more than 180 research papers, as well as a water hackathon organized by the Saudi Water Innovation Center.

 


PSC members visit Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh

Updated 25 November 2024
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PSC members visit Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh

  • The EU and the GCC held a political dialogue session, co-chaired by Pronk and Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC

RIYADH: Members of the EU’s Political and Security Committee, including its chair, Ambassador Delphine Pronk, and ambassadors of EU member states, paid an official visit to the Gulf Cooperation Council headquarters in Riyadh on Monday.

The delegation was accompanied by the European External Action Service Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa Helene Le Gal, and EU Special Representative for the Gulf Luigi Di Maio.

The EU and the GCC held a political dialogue session, co-chaired by Pronk and Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC.

The two parties discussed matters of mutual interest and the need to increase joint efforts to tackle global challenges.

This included the situations in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, Gulf security and Iran, maritime security in the Red Sea region, Iraq, Sudan and the Horn of Africa, as well as Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The committee delegates and the GCC also agreed on strengthening the EU-GCC regional security cooperation.

The political dialogue constitutes an important step forward following the successful first EU-GCC Summit in Brussels on Oct. 16.


Winners of Arabic language prize honored

Updated 25 November 2024
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Winners of Arabic language prize honored

  • Final results were based on evaluations by judging committees, considering criteria such as creativity, innovation, performance excellence, impact, and achieved outcomes

RIYADH: The winners of the King Salman Global Academy Prize for Arabic Language were recently honored in Riyadh in individual and institutional categories.

The event, held under the patronage of Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, focused on four main areas: Arabic language teaching and learning, Arabic language computing and services through modern technologies, Arabic language research and studies, and promoting linguistic awareness and community initiatives.

The total value of the awards for both categories amounted to SR1.6 million ($426,000), with each winner receiving SR200,000, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The final results were based on evaluations by judging committees, considering criteria such as creativity, innovation, performance excellence, impact, and achieved outcomes.

The award honors those who excel in serving the Arabic language, recognizing their contributions to preserving linguistic identity, promoting Arab culture, fostering loyalty, and enhancing communication within the Arab community.