RIYADH: Two athletes from the Al-Riyadh club won two gold medals in the track and field competitions on the ninth day of the Saudi Games 2023 on Friday.
Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s vice president and the games’ director, awarded Al-Riyadh’s Hani Al-Nakhli a gold medal in the men’s paralympic discus throw and his club-mate athlete Nadha Al-Humaydani the gold medal of the paralympic shot put.
Abdulrahim Al-Sheikh, head of the Saudi Paralympic Athletics Federation, attended the medal presentation ceremony at Al-Riyadh Club. Prince Fahd bin Jalawi also attended the wrestling and goalball paralympic medal ceremonies.
Meanwhile, Al-Riyadh’s Sultan Al-Hebshi won the silver medal in the paralympic discus throw ahead of Jazan’s Haidar Salamh, who won the bronze.
Sarah Al-Jumaah from Al-Riyadh secured the silver in the women’s shot put ahead of Al-Sharqiya’s Mohrah Al-Enez, who took the bronze.
Drift champions crowned:
Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, crowned the winners of the drift competition, which concluded on Friday at the Dirab Field.
Zakaria Silwan won gold, Bader Al-Shurayhi silver, and Khaled Al-Zayed bronze.
Al-Nassr crowned winners of 3x3 men’s basketball:
Princess Delayel bint Nahar Al-Saud, the Saudi Games’ deputy director, presented the gold medal to the Al-Nassr basketball team after they won the 3x3 men’s basketball competition at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex’s fan zone.
Al-Nassr defeated Al-Hilal 16-11, while Al-Safa club clinched the bronze medal after winning against Al-Salam 19-11.
Mudhar Club won the youth category’s gold medal after winning 21-12 against Al-Hilal, who took the silver, while Al-Khowildiah won the bronze.
Prince Fahd, Princess Delayel in the fan zone:
Prince Fahd and Princess Delayel attended the lively fan zone of the Saudi Games, which attracted a large gathering on Friday. Spectators enjoyed watching the Riyadh Derby, featuring Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, on large screens amid various engaging activities.
Al-Baha win goalball gold:
Ilgar Rahimov, president of the International Blind Sports Federation, awarded the winners in goalball on Friday at the Paralympic Hall of the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex. The Al-Baha team won the gold medal after winning 9-8 against Riyadh, which took the silver. Al-Qassim Club clinched the bronze with a 7-2 victory against Al-Hasa.
Olwani wins long jump:
Al-Ittihad’s Hamoudali Olwani topped the men’s long jump competition ahead of silver-medal winner Al-Hilal’s Ahmad Marzouq. Third came Al-Ahli’s Ahmed Obaid.
In the men’s discus throw, Mohammed Tolu from Al-Hilal took the gold while Osama Al-Aqili and Abu Bakr Zakaria won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Al-Hilal win 3000m steeplechase:
In the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase, the gold medal was awarded to Al-Hilal’s Raid Al-Jadaani, who came first ahead of Qilwah’s Ali Al-Shahrani and Al-Shabab’s Khalid Hazazi, respectively.
In the men’s 400m final, Al-Ahli’s Mazen Al-Yasen won the gold while Al-Shabab’s Yousef Masrahi and Qilwah’s Ismaeel Al-Subiani won the silver and bronze, respectively.
Malam wins gold at 100m:
Heba Malam from AlUla claimed the women’s 100-meter gold medal ahead of silver medalist Lujain Al-Humaid from Al-Safa. Yasmin Al-Dabbagh of Al-Ahli won the bronze.
In the youth category, Al-Adalah’s Lujain Hamdan came in first ahead of Noor Al-Jandan from Al-Khaleej and Bedoor Al-Herz from Al-Khaleej who came second and third.
Al-Wehda win gold in 60kg wrestling:
The Saudi Wrestling Federation’s President Fahad Al-Faraj awarded the gold medal of the 60kg Greco-Roman wrestling to Al-Wehda’s Munther Jandu. Meshal Al-Jayzani from Al-Nassr and Al-Wedha’s Rayan Hawsawi and Haitham Barahmah were presented the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Wrestling champions:
In wrestling’s 70kg category, Al-Wedha’s Ahmed Barahmah bagged the gold medal after a 5-3 victory against Turki Al-Harthi, who took the silver. Al-Raed’s Mansur Zelmukanov and Al-Wedhi’s Abdulmajeed Ahmed won the bronze.
Meanwhile, in the 80kg category, Al-Nahdah’s Mohammed Abdelaal came in first after a 6-1 win against Al-Wedha’s Hassan Barnawi. Third place went to Al-Ettifaq’s Abdullah Al-Dossary and Al-Shabab’s Hassan Al-Harthi.
Al-Hilal’s Reda El-Maghraby took the 90kg gold medal while the silver was handed to Mahmoud Hawsawi from Al-Ahli. Al-Wehda’s athletes Ammar Hawsawi and Sanad Al-Sibyani shared bronze.
In the above-90kg category, Ohod’s Mohammed El-Ghazaly clinched the gold ahead of Al-Wedha’s Ghazi bin Bakr. Al-Ahli’s Mohammed Al-Mashyakhi and Al-Wehda’s Ibrahim Fallatah shared the bronze.
Saudi Gymnastics Federation president crowns the winners:
Suleiman Al-Jasser, president of the Saudi Gymnastics Federation, presented the medals to winners of the men’s pole vault in gymnastics. Al-Ibtisam’s Jaffar Al-Sayigh clinched the gold medal while Al-Ittihad’s Abdulaziz Al-Johani and Al-Safa’s Hasan Al-Sheef won the silver and bronze.
In the men’s parallel bar, Al-Ittihad’s Nasser Al-Samiri came in first ahead of Al-Ibtisam’s Habeb Aswailah and Al-Ittihad’s Manaf Al-Amri, who ranked second and third, respectively.
In the horizontal bar, Al-Ibtisam’s Ali Al-Mobireek won the gold while Al-Ittihad’s Abdulkarim Al-Mur won silver ahead of third-placed Al-Khowildiah’s Haidar Al-Jaroudi.
Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr women qualify to futsal semifinals:
The women’s futsal semifinals feature Al-Nassr against Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab against Al-Qadisiyah on Sunday. The group stage concluded on Friday at Al-Nassr Club after Al-Suqor defeated Al-Nawras 2-0 and Al-Hilal beat Al-Qadisiyah 13-0. The United Eagles thrashed the Golden Eagles 7-4 and Al-Shabab won against Al-Nassr 2-1.
Men’s basketball:
The men’s basketball competition kicked off Saturday in the Green Hall of the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex. The five-day event started with Al-Hilal beating Al-Salam 85-58, while Al-Safa won against Al-Khaleej 78-64 and Al-Wehda beat Al-Khowildiah 45-36.
Men’s futsal semifinals:
Al-Nassr Club hosted the men’s futsal semifinals, in which Al-Nassr eliminated Al-Ettifaq in the penalty shootout 5-4 after tying 4-4. Al-Riyadh were scheduled to face Al-Qadisiyah.
Medal tally reaches 369 on 9th day of Saudi Games 2023
https://arab.news/m2ex4
Medal tally reaches 369 on 9th day of Saudi Games 2023
- Prince Fahd bin Jalawi crowns athletics champions
- Princess Delayel crowns Al-Nassr with basketball gold
Saudi Arabia held to surprise draw by Indonesia in World Cup qualifier
- Next comes an away game in China on Tuesday to face a team thrashed 7-0 in Japan
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia were held to a 1-1 draw by Indonesia in Jeddah on Thursday on a day of surprises in Asia as the third round of World Cup qualification began.
It was very much a case of two points dropped against the lowest-ranked team in Group C, especially as Salem Al-Dawsari saw a penalty saved with 11 minutes remaining.
However, it could have been worse. Hours earlier, group rivals Australia had crashed to a 1-0 loss at home to Bahrain and, for a while, it looked as if Saudi boss Roberto Mancini was about to suffer a similar humiliation.
Indonesia may be Asia’s most improved team and bolstered by the naturalization of several European-based players, but they arrived for the clash ranked 133 in the world, a full 77 places below the hosts.
No wonder home fans at the King Abdullah Sports City expected a comfortable win.
Saudi Arabia took time to get going and had not really threatened before the visitors took the lead after 19 minutes. Ragnar Oratmangoen cut inside on the right edge of the area and his fierce shot deflected off Sandy Walsh and past the helpless Mohammed Al-Owais. The Indonesian fans went crazy as did the coaching staff, led by South Korean Shin Tae-yong.
While it shook Saudi Arabia into action, chances were still hard to come by. Mohamed Kanno shot just wide and then Al-Hilal teammate Salem Al-Dawsari, sporting the captain’s armband, started to get into the game. The introduction of AS Roma’s new signing Saud Abdulhamid on the right side just after 30 minutes also gave the hosts a bit more bite and balance.
The final pass was not quite there though, and the Southeast Asians looked dangerous on the break.
Then, just before the break, the home team got the break they needed. Musab Al-Juwayr had control of the ball on the edge of the area but his shot took a major deflection on its way to the back of the net to bring a sense of relief all around the stadium. It surely changed the halftime team talks of both bosses.
Al-Nassr’s Abdulrahman Ghareeb came on at the start of the second half and should have done better three minutes in when, after some sloppy Indonesian play, he blasted a shot over and wide from a good position.
Saudi Arabia were applying pressure at last, however, and a second goal did not look to be too far away. Even so, the visitors looked to hit on the break and, for the neutral at least, the game started to open up in an entertaining fashion.
With 20 minutes remaining, Saudi Arabia were on top but Mancini, wearing a shirt and tie, looked worried on the sidelines.
Al-Dawsari shot just wide from outside the area as the teams started to look a little tired on a humid evening. In the 76th minute, the hosts went even closer but Abdulhamid’s header came back off a post with goalkeeper Maarten Paes beaten.
However, moments later Paes gave away a penalty while trying to play out from the back. He ended up bringing down Firas Al-Buraikan and up stepped Al-Dawsari, the goalkeeper making amends for his mistake by making a diving save to his left.
It sparked Saudi Arabia to even greater efforts. With two minutes to play, Kanno’s shot from outside the area was saved by Paes and the rebound went across the face of goal with no one on hand to hit home.
It was an agonizing sight for the home fans, but the winning goal never came, although Al-Buraikan saw a one-on-one chance spurned.
Next comes an away game in China on Tuesday to face a team thrashed 7-0 in Japan and desperate for some improvement.
Saudi Arabia will need to improve too. There are still nine games to go and the top two places that bring automatic qualification are still within reach, but the start should have been better. On the other hand, on what was a crazy day in Asia, it could have been worse.
Eastern Region Hockey Championship gets underway Thursday
- Six teams will go head-to-head in two-day event in Dammam
JEDDAH: Six teams and 60 players will compete in the Eastern Region Hockey Championship at the Sport Dome in Dammam.
The two-day event, which opens on Thursday, is being organized under the supervision of the Saudi Hockey Federation, which last month staged the Bahah Region Hockey Championship for men and women.
The federation said it was committed to organizing competitive events and raising the sport’s profile across the Kingdom.
Experts explore intersection of culture, creativity at NGSC Riyadh
- The panel brought together creative professionals from diverse fields, including entertainment, art, and fashion
RIYADH: People are more likely to invest in things they feel connected to, according to the founder and president of Works Collective, Nate Morley, speaking on a panel titled “Cultural Crossroads in Games” on the second day of the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh.
The panel brought together creative professionals from diverse fields, including entertainment, art, and fashion. They explored the impact of cultural influence on creative industries and emphasized the need to balance cultural authenticity with commercial success.
Je Alipio, director and head of business development at Walt Disney Co. for APAC & MENA, discussed how Disney innovates while maintaining the integrity of its beloved characters and stories.
“It’s really about finding the right partner,” he said, noting that collaborating with like-minded creatives who bring fresh ideas can unlock many opportunities.
Alipio also outlined two approaches to business collaboration: a top-down method, where Disney enters a partner’s space to inform or influence it, and a bottom-up approach, where partners are empowered to expand their ideas on a larger scale under Disney’s guidance.
Khaled Makhshoush, a Saudi artist specializing in digital pixel art, began his career inspired by video games. He discussed the cultural elements featured in his work and how he draws inspiration from his surroundings. “You start to see things — the places you grow up in, the city … that’s the main source of cultural inspiration.”
Makhshoush noted that when creating an image, his focus is not on accuracy but on conveying emotion. By “breaking it down and then rebuilding it” based on his interpretation, he fosters a connection between personal and cultural elements.
In discussing how to create culturally authentic gaming experiences, Morley remarked: “One of the worst things you can do is to be a cultural appropriator.”
He elaborated that while fostering a platform that invites people to contribute and expand ideas is valuable, appropriating elements from other cultures and using them as your own is problematic.
Morley stressed that collaboration and diversity are key to elevating a brand. He said that within a single brand framework, one can showcase a multitude of voices in various ways, adding that a distinctive mix of backgrounds and industries transforms the brand from a mere “copy and paste” entity into an inclusive “platform for expression.”
Nicola Mizon, COO and co-founder of Kutur Runway and Vitza DGTL, discussed the increasing efforts by fashion brands to integrate into the esports sector through advanced technology. She noted that there is a growing demand for audiences “to look their best.
“We want to create a fashion gaming platform that’s at the intersection of technology, commerce, and games and bring everyone together to celebrate the art of fashion in the digital space,” she said.
This involves engaging in discussions with local designers and creators to understand their needs for a gaming platform that allows them to feel celebrated and unrestricted in their creative expression, such as crafting innovative concepts like “dresses made of fire.”
Expanding the discussion on integrating fashion within both cultural and digital contexts, Reem Al-Kanhal, fashion designer and creative director of brand Reem AlKanhal, said: “Fashion is connected to everything.”
Al-Kanhal emphasized that, given the extensive time newer generations spend online, it is crucial to integrate cultural elements — such as traditional wardrobes and national landmarks — into games for the sake of cultural preservation.
She concluded: “I think (that) owning your story is your power,” highlighting its significance for personal ambition and maintaining cultural connections.
Professional basketball league to launch 4th team in Saudi Arabia
- The USA-Middle East based NBXL has partnered with the MENA division of sports rights agency Redstrike Global
RIYADH: NBXL, the world’s first USA-Middle East independent professional basketball league, has announced a strategic partnership with Redstrike Arabia.
This partnership marks a milestone in NBXL’s Middle East expansion strategy, particularly in Saudi Arabia where it plans to introduce the franchise’s fourth team.
Christian Villar, founder and owner of NBXL, highlighted how the partnership aligned with NBXL’s goal of extending its reach in the region. He also emphasized its potential to transform professional basketball, especially in Saudi Arabia, which is rapidly becoming a global hub for sports and entertainment.
This initiative promises to unlock new opportunities, spur innovation and enhance visibility, benefiting athletes and fans alike.
Saad Houtan, executive partner of Redstrike Arabia, the newly established Gulf Cooperation Council and Middle East and North Africa region division of sporting agency Redstrike Global, said he was enthusiastic about the partnership’s potential to support the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
“This partnership is a significant step towards fostering a business relationship that not only meets the ambitious goals of Vision 2030 but also promotes sustainable growth and innovation in the region,” he said.
Taekwondo star Dunya Abu Taleb falls short in quest for historic medal
- Abutaleb has previously earned a bronze medal at the World Championships and achieved a career-high global ranking of No. 4
PARIS: In a highly anticipated match on Wednesday, taekwondo star Dunya Abu Taleb was defeated by top-ranked Panipak Wongpattanakit in the -49kg category quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She had another chance via the repechage round and entered the bronze medal match against Mobina Nematzadeh later on Wednesday, but fell just short of medal glory.
The 27-year-old from Riyadh had been poised to make history as Saudi Arabia’s first female Olympic medalist, having previously taken a bronze medal at the World Championships and achieved a career-high global ranking of No. 4.
Her performance at the Games drew significant attention and marked her as a strong contender
Earlier in the competition, Abu Taleb demonstrated her skill and resilience by defeating Israel’s Abishag Semberg in the first bout, advancing her to the quarterfinals. However, despite a commendable effort, she was unable to overcome reigning Olympic champion Wongpattanakit.
Her journey to the Paris Olympics has been a testament to her dedication and skill, and although this setback is disappointing, her performance continues to be a source of pride and inspiration for Saudi sports.
