Saudi Arabia Pledges 'Outstanding Experience' for Football Fans at FIFA Club World Cup

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz.  -SPA
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz. -SPA
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Saudi Arabia Pledges 'Outstanding Experience' for Football Fans at FIFA Club World Cup

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz.  -SPA
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz. -SPA

Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal expressed the Kingdom’s commitment to delivering an exceptional experience for football fans during the FIFA Club World Cup in Jeddah, SPA reported.
Saudi Arabia is hosting the tournament for the first time from December 12 to 22, featuring seven competing teams representing the sport’s six continental regions.
"We are delighted to host the FIFA Club World Cup on Saudi Arabian soil for the first time, which reflects the remarkable progress our great nation is witnessing, praise be to Allah," stated the minister of sport.
He further noted that progress in this regard has transformed the Kingdom into a preferred global destination for athletes and a hub for organizing major events across various sports.
The minister attributed this progress to the unwavering support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom.

The minister extended a warm welcome to all participating teams and sports fans from around the world, underscoring the Kingdom’s commitment to providing football enthusiasts with an extraordinary experience.
He highlighted the previous sports events hosted by the Kingdom, which serve as “a testament to its ascent to global leadership in 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.