Saudi Arabia’s Nouf Al-Marwaai Appointed President of Asian Yoga Sports Federation

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia’s Nouf Al-Marwaai Appointed President of Asian Yoga Sports Federation

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Asian Yoga Sports Federation unanimously appointed President of the Saudi Yoga Committee Nouf Al-Marwaai as its new president for the upcoming term, with support from representatives of 15 countries.

Al-Marwaai expressed her pride and gratitude for the support shown by the federation members at its sixth general assembly meeting held in Dubai this week.

"The unanimous support and trust of the members in appointing me as the president of the Asian Yoga Federation reflect the prominent position Saudi Arabia holds in Asia across various sectors, including sports, which has seen significant strides and rapid progress recently,” she said.

She praised the substantial support Saudi sports receive from the country’s leadership, enabling many Saudis to take on key roles at regional and international levels.

As president of the federation, Al-Marwaai reiterated her commitment to promoting and expanding yoga across Asian countries and increasing the number of championships held in different regions to achieve the primary goal of making yoga accessible to people of all ages.

She also acknowledged the guidance and support of Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, which played a key role in her appointment to this position and in sustaining Saudi Arabia’s presence in various international forums.



Krejcikova Beats Gauff in Saudi Arabia to Earn Last Semifinal Spot at WTA Finals

Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024.  EPA/Marcin Cholewinski
Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024. EPA/Marcin Cholewinski
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Krejcikova Beats Gauff in Saudi Arabia to Earn Last Semifinal Spot at WTA Finals

Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024.  EPA/Marcin Cholewinski
Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024. EPA/Marcin Cholewinski

Barbora Krejcikova grabbed the last semifinal spot at the WTA Finals with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Coco Gauff on Thursday, a result that eliminated second-ranked Iga Swiatek from the season-ending tournament.

Krejcikova completes a last-four lineup that already included top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen and Gauff, The Associated Press reported.

“Well, I was definitely super excited to be here, to come here, to qualify to play against the best ones,” Krejcikova said. “I don’t really know where everything started to come together. Before the tournament, I had a couple of days where we hit lightly and already during those hits, I felt quite good.

And I think definitely for me, it’s a big thing that it’s the last tournament of the season.”

Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, won the Orange Group and will face Zheng in Friday's semifinals, while Gauff will take on Purple Group winner Sabalenka.

Swiatek earlier routed alternate Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour, but she needed Krejcikova to lose to third-ranked Gauff in order to advance from the Orange Group. Krejcikova, Gauff and Swiatek all finished at 2-1, and Swiatek was eliminated because she has a worse percentage of sets won.

Kasatkina replaced American Jessica Pegula, who withdrew from the tournament on Wednesday because of a left knee injury.

“I’m professional enough to always give 100% no matter what the stakes are," Swiatek said.