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
TT

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.



Microphones Would Have Solved Off-Court Coaching Issue, Says Fritz

Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
TT

Microphones Would Have Solved Off-Court Coaching Issue, Says Fritz

Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)

Taylor Fritz believes the tennis authorities should have clamped down hard on off-court coaching rather than change the rules to allow it, saying it takes away from the sport's unique appeal.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) will allow off-court coaching from 2025 following trials at the four Grand Slams and ATP and WTA Tour events since 2023.

Fritz, who won his opening match at the ATP Finals on Sunday, thinks organizers have been bullied into the change.

"I think as far as it should go with the coach talking to you is giving you encouragement, saying, 'great shot, good job, keep going, keep fighting' stuff like that," the American told reporters in Turin after his win over Daniil Medvedev.

"I think when it gets into strategic, like 'back up, hit it this way more, cover this', I don't think that's (right).

"I think a lot of the reason they made this rule in the first place is they were almost in a way bullied into it because people would just break the rules anyway and coach anyway."

Fritz, who is at a career-high world number five, said the simple fix would have been to use microphones in coaching boxes.

"I think there should be mics in the boxes. I think there should be someone monitoring the mics. It should be very, very strict to where if anything goes past just encouragement, immediately you're penalized," he said.

"That's how you fix it. That's how you have no coaching. Players have to figure things out on their own. That's, like I said, one of the great things about tennis.

"It would be insane if someone could come on the court for you and serve, right? So why can someone tell you what to do?"

Fritz will face home favorite and world number one Jannik Sinner in his second group match on Tuesday.