Saudi Arabia to Host Next World Forum with Participation of Esports Leaders, Experts

Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) Chairman Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan. (SEF)
Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) Chairman Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan. (SEF)
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Saudi Arabia to Host Next World Forum with Participation of Esports Leaders, Experts

Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) Chairman Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan. (SEF)
Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) Chairman Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan. (SEF)

The Next World Forum, an esports and gaming forum that will bring together sector leaders and experts from around the world, will be held in Riyadh from September 7 to 8 September, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The global gaming and esports community will gather to discuss the development of this vibrant and flourishing sector.

More than 1,200 delegates from across the globe will gather in Riyadh to discuss the most pertinent issues in esports and gaming at the in-person Forum.

With a highly impressive list of speakers, invitees include ministers of sport from various leading nations, investors, gamers, developers, tech providers, start-ups, public sector representatives, brands and advertisers, publishers, broadcasters, and federations and leagues.

The Next World Forum, which will be organized by the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF), additionally brings the curtain down on the phenomenally successful season of Gamers8, the biggest esports and gaming event worldwide, which is currently being held at Boulevard Riyadh City.

SEF Chairman Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan said: "The Next World Forum is an opportunity to shape the future agenda of esports and gaming, including the complete capture of full sector growth through investment and collaboration."

"It is imperative that we propel a gaming and esports sector that offers rich opportunities for industry and governments while meeting and exceeding new expectations from gamers around business models," he added.

"In pursuing that quest, Saudi Arabia, which has an aim to become not just one of the global leaders in esports and gaming, but the global leader, is a fitting host for the Next World Forum," he stated.

High-level speakers at the Next World Forum include Prince Faisal; Chester King, CEO, British Esports & Vice-President, Global Esports Federation; Mario Pérez Guerreira CEO, MENA & Partner, GGTech; Sayo Olowabi, Security General, Africa Esports Development Federation (AEDF); and Grant Johnson, Chairman and CEO, Esports Entertainment Group.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.