JEDDAH: Following the confirmation this month that LIV Golf is set to return to Royal Greens Golf and Country Club at King Abdullah Economic City in Jeddah, more details have emerged about the event and some of the stars who will compete have spoken of their excitement about returning to the city.
The third LIV Golf Jeddah will take place from Mar. 1 to 3 and organizers said it will feature some of the biggest names in the sport, including: 2023 Masters Champion Jon Rahm; 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion Talor Gooch, with his new team, Smash GC; 2023 PGA Championship winner, and five-time major champion, Brooks Koepka, also of Smash GC; 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, with 2023 LIVE Golf Team Champions Crushers GC; 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith with Ripper GC; six-time major winner and World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson with HyFlyers GC; and two-time major winners Dustin Johnson (4Aces GC), Bubba Watson (RangeGoats GC) and Martin Kaymer (Cleeks GC).
Koepka is very familiar with Royal Greens, having won LIV Golf Jeddah there in each of the past two years. He will defend the title he won in October last year in a dramatic playoff against Gooch, who now joins him on team Smash following an offseason trade.
“Royal Greens is somewhere I’ve had success before and to win last year, beating Talor in the playoff, who had a great season, was a great way to finish the season,” said Koepka.
“I look forward to returning to Jeddah in March, with Talor as a teammate, to hopefully claim the Jeddah individual and team titles.”
LIV Golf Jeddah will be the third event of the international 14-event 2024 season, which showcases LIV Golf’s innovative format in which the world’s best golfers compete both individually and as teams over three days.
Fireballs GC, featuring captain Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer, Eugenio Chacarra and former Torque GC player David Puig — who signed for the team as a free agent during the offseason to replace Carlos Ortiz, who moved to Torque — will return to Royal Greens as defending team champions.
“LIV Golf Jeddah was the site of our second team victory in 2023 and capped off a fantastic first full season for Fireballs GC,” said Garcia.
“We can’t wait to make our return to Royal Greens as a team, defend our title, and look forward to the incredible support of fans in Saudi Arabia for what is always a great event.”
In addition to the action on the course, organizers said the event will once again feature the popular Beach Club, a daily fireworks display, a vibrant fan village with activities for fans of all ages, and a wide range of food and beverage options.
Single-day and three-day grounds passes for LIV Golf Jeddah are available at LIVGolf.com, and include access to all fan activities.
Stars look forward to return of LIV Golf Jeddah in March
https://arab.news/gw6f3
Stars look forward to return of LIV Golf Jeddah in March
- More details revealed about this year’s competition, which will again take place at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club and be the 3rd event of the 14-event 2024 season
- Competitors will include 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm, and 2-time LIV Golf Jeddah winner Brooks Koepka, who said he looks forward to defending his title
Inter Milan coach maintains optimism despite Italian Supercup loss
- Simone Inzaghi working to regain ‘focus’ as team look to the future
RIYADH: Inter Milan will focus on boosting morale for future games following defeat in the Italian Supercup, Simone Inzaghi, the club’s manager told Arab News on Monday.
AC Milan secured a 3-2 comeback victory over city rivals Inter Milan at Riyadh’s Alawwal Park on Monday.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Inzaghi said: “We should work on motivating the players and the fans. Cheering them up and boosting their morale.
“Defeat is a hard feeling I know but we should work on regaining conscience and focus. We wanted to win the title, but it is what it is.”
Prior to the derby, Arab News interviewed devoted AC Milan fans.
Waleed Alahmed said: “Milan is going to win because of their new manager, (Sergio) Conceicao. I think his way of playing is very good and if (winger Rafael) Leao is there, Milan is going to win.”
After just one week at the helm, Conceicao has now earned his first trophy.
The hosting of the 37th Italian Supercup aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life program and the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. It is a part of the country’s plan to continue hosting major global sporting events.
The Ministry of Sports organized the event, which was hosted by the Kingdom for the fifth time.
Bangladesh revamps worker training for Saudi 2034 FIFA World Cup projects
- Govt to prepare training centers with focus on Saudi market demands
- Reskilling, upskilling services to be provided to migrants already residing in the Kingdom
DHAKA: Bangladeshi authorities are revamping training for prospective migrant workers and will offer upskilling programs to those residing in Saudi Arabia to tap into the labor market ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which the Kingdom will host in 2034.
Last month, the football governing body confirmed that Saudi Arabia had won the bid to host the world’s largest sporting event.
With the bid proposing to hold games across 15 stadiums in five cities, many new migrant workers will be involved in building new sports and transport networks, as well as hotel infrastructure.
In Bangladesh, which has a major expat community in Saudi Arabia, the trend is viewed as an “opportunity” for the country’s migrant workers, according to A.Z.M. Nurul Huq, joint secretary at the employment wing of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.
“It’s a huge task, and a lot of construction works will take place targeting this World Cup event. Here lies the opportunity for us as our migrants have been working with much goodwill in many sectors of the Kingdom for many years,” Huq told Arab News.
“Saudi Arabia has to build over a dozen new stadiums, renovate existing ones and develop numerous new accommodation facilities, along with necessary infrastructure and connectivity.”
Some 3 million Bangladeshi nationals live and work in Saudi Arabia. They are the largest expat group in the Kingdom and also the biggest Bangladeshi community outside Bangladesh.
Many are employed in the construction sector as masons, electricians, pipe fitters, plumbers and electricians.
“Bangladeshi migrants can be more actively employed in the construction work for the FIFA World Cup,” Huq said.
“Works are underway for providing reskilling and upskilling services to migrants who are already in the Kingdom. In this way, our workers will be able to secure their jobs and earn more.”
For the past few years, as Saudi Arabia is prioritizing efforts to improve the professional competence of employees under its Vision 2030 program, the expatriates’ ministry has been collaborating with the Kingdom’s skills verification authority, Takamol.
The agency, which manages migrant skill certification based on the needs of Saudi employers, provides Bangladesh’s 113 technical training centers with a list of the Kingdom’s latest workforce requirements.
“Our centers tailor their programs to equip workers with the necessary skills. Upon completing the training, the prospective migrants receive certification through Takamol, which is recognized by Saudi authorities,” said Shah Zulfiquer Haider, deputy secretary at the ministry’s training wing.
As demand is set to increase in line with 2034 World Cup projects, more Bangladeshi training centers will focus on the Saudi market in particular.
“We are planning to strengthen our collaboration with Takamol,” Haider said. “Currently, a dozen technical training centers are preparing skilled workers to meet Saudi Arabia’s demands. We will soon increase the number of training centers, which will produce more skilled migrants tailored to the needs of the Saudi labor market.”
Al-Ittihad back on top as club mark 97 years of glory
- Saudi Arabia’s oldest club head the Saudi Pro League table as they celebrate 97th birthday
DUBAI/LONDON: It is fitting that as Al-Ittihad celebrate their 97th anniversary this month, the Jeddah giants are sitting on top of the Saudi Pro League.
The past is impressive. The club was founded on Jan. 4, 1927, and is one of the oldest in Asia. Not only that, but Al-Ittihad are set to join the Club of Pioneers, a global network of historic teams headed by Sheffield FC, the oldest football club in the world that was set up in 1857.
“We are very proud to be the first Arabic country to join the Club of Pioneers on our 97th year anniversary and celebrating our great achievements as the first Saudi Football club. And we look forward to our 100 years and beyond,” Dania Al-Maeena, CEO of Al-Ittihad’s nonprofit organization, told Arab News.
Now they join the likes of Wrexham of Wales, Genoa of Italy and Royal Antwerp of Belgium to become the 32nd member.
The first silverware came all the way back in 1958 with the King’s Cup and Crown Prince’s Cup, starting to fill a trophy cabinet that has become much more packed over the decades.
Fans had to wait until 1982 to celebrate a league championship. Eight more have followed. The most recent came in 2023 when Al-Ittihad were very impressive on their way to lift the title once more and for the first time since 2009.
Any club with such domestic success want to challenge internationally, and the team in yellow and black have done just that. In 1999, fans celebrated the Asian Cup Winners Cup. The big prize, however, was always the AFC Champions League and in that competition, Ittihad have made history.
In 2004, the Red Sea club lost the first leg of the final at home, 3-1 to South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Heading into the return game, nobody gave the Saudi Arabians a chance. Yet, in perhaps the most stunning result in the history of Asian club football, Al-Ittihad shocked an expectant home crowd and the continent, by winning 5-0 to take the trophy.
If that was impressive, then so was the following year, as the club were head and shoulders above the rest. In those days, the defending champions joined the competition at the quarterfinal stage.
There was an 8-3 aggregate win over China’s Shandong Luneng and then a 7-0 thrashing of South Korea’s Busan I’Park in the semifinal. The final against 2003 champions Al-Ain of the UAE was a tougher task, but it ended in a 5-3 win over two legs. No team had previously successfully defended the Asian Champions League title.
At the time, the rest of the continent feared a dynasty being established. That did not happen but Al-Ittihad are one of Asia’s biggest and most popular clubs. Joining 50,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City is an unforgettable football experience.
None of this is to say that the best days are in the past. As the club enter their 97th year in existence, they are in a very healthy state indeed.
In 2023, the club ended a 14-year wait for a Saudi Pro League title, and though last season did not see a repeat performance, French coach Laurent Blanc has settled extremely well since joining in July.
He has stars including Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho and Moussa Diaby at his disposal. There is also impressive domestic talent in the form of Saleh Al-Shehri, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Hassan Kadesh and many others.
The future is looking bright. After ending 2024 with nine successive league wins, they are two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League. There is still a long way to go but Al-Ittihad are fit for the journey.
37th Italian Super Cup kicks off in Riyadh
- Serie A champions Inter Milan take on Atalanta and AC Milan tackle Juventus in bid to make Sunday’s final
RIYADH: The 37th edition of the Italian Super Cup kicks off here today with Serie A champions Inter Milan taking on Atalanta, the Coppa Italia runner-up.
Hosted by Saudi Arabia for the fifth time, the tournament takes place at Al-Awwal Park Stadium until Jan. 6. The Ministry of Sports is the organizer of the event.
AC Milan, second in the Serie A last year, take on Juventus, the Coppa Italia champions on Friday, with the final on Sunday.
The event aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life program and the country’s plan to continue hosting major global sporting events.
It reflects the Ministry of Sports’ commitment to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Twisted Minds take crown in first ESL Saudi Challenge
- Group wins grand prize from a $20,000 prize pool
RIYADH: Saudi esports team Twisted Minds claimed victory against Dragons during the first ESL Saudi Challenge Grand Final, scooping the lion’s share of the tournament’s $20,000 prize pool.
They become the first team to hold the title of ESL Saudi Champions in the region’s first ESL competition dedicated exclusively to the Saudi Arabian gaming community.
In the semifinals, Dragons triumphed in a hard-fought best-of-five series to win 3-2, while Twisted Minds delivered a commanding performance with an unbeaten 4-0 sweep in a best-of-seven match. The finals featured Overwatch 2, an online, multiplayer, first-person shooter video game.
Twisted Minds member Ibrahim Al-Ali told Arab News his team’s key to a successful gameplan was practice.
“We do the basic stuff. We just practice before every tournament and keep practicing along the year … A typical day of practice for a professional player usually is basic practice in game (which is) two hours of practice with each team, (up to) four to six hours a day.”
Al-Ali has been playing Overwatch for nine years. His favorite character is “Widowmaker,” one of the game’s most popular heroes who is known for her powerful sniper rifle.
Founded in 2021, Twisted Minds is known for impressive gameplay and consistent performance. The team competes in Rocket League, EA Sports FC and PUBG and recently won the PUBG Global Series 6, after claiming victory in both Series 4 and 5.
Saudi Arabia boasts one of the region’s fastest-growing gaming sectors which is playing a pivotal role in the Kingdom’s transformation.
FACEIT is the digital platform offering of ESL FACEIT Group, a gaming and esports company procured for $1.5 billion in 2022 by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, which is 100 percent owned by the country’s public investment fund.
