'Next World Forum' Discusses Gaming and Esports Sector in Riyadh

The Saudi Esports Federation logo
The Saudi Esports Federation logo
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'Next World Forum' Discusses Gaming and Esports Sector in Riyadh

The Saudi Esports Federation logo
The Saudi Esports Federation logo

The Saudi Esports Federation will launch the "Next World Forum" on August 30 and 31 in Riyadh, at the conclusion of the activities of the largest event for games and electronic sports in the world, "Gamers8: The Land of Heroes."

The forum will discuss promising opportunities in the fast-growing gaming and esports industry worth more than $170 billion globally, exceeding the worth of both the film and music industries.

Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation's Board of Directors, said that the current edition of the forum tackles challenging questions about the gaming and esports industry, as it convenes leaders of the sector and related sectors.

The first day of the forum will see a panel discussion entitled: “Acquisition: Legal Aspects of Corporate Acquisition of Game Studios," then a session about “Electronic Games, the Economy of the Future," followed by a session “From Pixels to the Podium: Studying the Relationship between eSports and the Olympic Games," in addition to a session on “Stagnation of E-Sports: Is the Story Over?”.

On its second day, the forum will witness a session titled "The Impact of Politics on Electronic Games," a session entitled “Challenges Women Face in Achieving Leadership Roles in the World of Electronic Games," and then a session about “Analyzing the Mental and Physical Health of Esports Players" and a keynote session entitled “Better Digital Governance in Metaverse and Blockchain."

The winners of the "Gamers Season Awards for Clubs" will be announced during the "Next World Forum," which is an innovative method for awarding rewards and an updated system that will constitute a quantum leap in the world of electronic sports.



Five-time Grand Slam Champion Iga Swiatek Accepts One-month Suspension in Doping Case

 Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Five-time Grand Slam Champion Iga Swiatek Accepts One-month Suspension in Doping Case

 Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Thursday.

Swiatek failed an out-of-competition drug test in August, and the ITIA accepted her explanation that the result was unintentional and was caused by the contamination of a nonprescription medication, melatonin, that Swiatek was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping, The AP reported.

It was determined her level of fault was “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence,” the IATA said.

Swiatek is a 23-year-old from Poland who was ranked No. 1 most of the past two seasons but is now at No. 2. She won the French Open in June for her fifth major championship and took home a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in early August.