Riyadh Marathon Concludes with Participation of 20,000 Competitors from Around the World

The third edition of the Riyadh Marathon saw the participation of more than 20,000 competitors. SPA
The third edition of the Riyadh Marathon saw the participation of more than 20,000 competitors. SPA
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Riyadh Marathon Concludes with Participation of 20,000 Competitors from Around the World

The third edition of the Riyadh Marathon saw the participation of more than 20,000 competitors. SPA
The third edition of the Riyadh Marathon saw the participation of more than 20,000 competitors. SPA

The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) concluded on Saturday the third edition of the Riyadh Marathon, which was held on February 9-10 in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, with the participation of more than 20,000 male and female competitors from around the world.
The contestants crossed the finish line, amid enthusiastic applause from their peers and attendees. The winners were granted prizes worth more than SAR700,000, in addition to medals to celebrate their achievement and participation in the marathon.
Kenyan Kegen Kirwa was crowned in the first place in the men’s professional category for a distance of 242 kilometers, Ethiopian Telehun Gashaho won second place, and third place went to Moroccan Algoz Anwar.
This edition saw the participation of thousands of sports enthusiasts, with participants of over 20,000 male and female competitors from 125 countries.
Males represented 64% while females represented 36% of the total number of participants, with 600 who participated in the full marathon, 3,000 competitors in the half marathon, nearly 8,000 competitors in the 10 km race, and 8,400 participants in the 4 km race. The marathon recorded an increase in the number of participants amounting to more than 33% compared to last year.



‘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.