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
TT

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.



Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
TT

Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and his deputy, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris.

Held outside the traditional stadiums for the first time in history, the ceremony featured a parade of the 206 participating countries on 100 boats traveling approximately 6 kilometers along the Seine River.

The Saudi show jumping team player, Ramzy Al-Duhami, and his colleague, the Saudi Taekwondo champion Dunya Aboutaleb, raised the Saudi flag at the opening of the world’s largest sporting event.

Al-Duhami expressed his pride in raising the Kingdom’s flag alongside his teammate, noting that it was a dream for any Saudi citizen. He wished success for the Saudi athletes in representing Saudi sports with distinction.

Aboutaleb, in turn, said he was honored to carry the Kingdom’s flag at the Olympic Games, stating: “I aspire to perform at a level that reflects the support and attention given to sports in the Kingdom.”

The Saudi athletes’ uniform was admired by the international media and the audience, who applauded the players the moment their boat appeared on the Seine River.

The designs for the opening ceremony were chosen through a national competition organized by the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, with the participation of designers from across the Kingdom.

Out of 128 competing designers, the chosen uniform by Saudi designer Alia Al-Salmi featured traditional men’s thobes and bishts and brightly patterned thobe al-nashal for women, symbolizing the athletes’ pride in their homeland and cultural roots.

Mashael Al-Ayed, 17, will be the first Saudi athlete to compete, taking to the pool for the 200 meters freestyle swimming event on July 28. Al-Ayed is the first female swimmer to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics.