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Qiddiya Named Founding Partner of the Formula 1® stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025

Qiddiya Named Founding Partner of the Formula 1® stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025
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Qiddiya Named Founding Partner of the Formula 1® stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025

Qiddiya Named Founding Partner of the Formula 1® stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025

Saudi Motorsport Company, the promoter of the Formula 1® stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025, has announced a strategic partnership with Qiddiya Investment Company, one of the flagship initiatives of the Public Investment Fund. Under this agreement, Qiddiya becomes a Founding Partner of the 2025 edition of the Formula 1® stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, SPA reported.
This collaboration builds on Qiddiya Investment Company’s strong relationship with the Grand Prix and underscores its unwavering commitment to championing Saudi Arabia’s cultural identity on the global stage. As a Founding Partner, Qiddiya will support the continued growth of the Kingdom’s entertainment, sports, and cultural sectors—delivering world-class experiences that inspire both local communities and international audiences.
Commenting on the announcement, CEO of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation Khalid Al-Suwaidan said: “We are proud to expand our partnership with Qiddiya Investment Company. Their involvement will help unlock the full potential of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit – the fastest street circuit in the world – and further solidify Saudi Arabia’s position on the global motorsport map.”
“This partnership is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional sporting experiences on a global scale. We are confident it will pave the way for continued achievements, embedding sport more deeply into everyday life while enhancing the Kingdom’s image on the international stage,” Al-Suwaidan added.
Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company Abdullah AlDawood said: “We are proud to be a Founding Partner of the Formula 1® stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025, one of the most prestigious events on the global sporting calendar. This partnership reflects Qiddiya’s commitment to bringing world-class experiences to the Kingdom and supporting the continued growth of motorsport in Saudi Arabia. As we develop Qiddiya City into the future capital of Entertainment, Sports, and Culture, initiatives like this play a key role in shaping a vibrant and dynamic future for our youth and reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s position on the world stage.”

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Sports

Pope Francis Was a Card-Carrying Football Fan and Promoter of Values in Sports

Francis met his fellow Argentine Maradona twice as pope. (AFP via Getty Images)
Francis met his fellow Argentine Maradona twice as pope. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Pope Francis Was a Card-Carrying Football Fan and Promoter of Values in Sports

Francis met his fellow Argentine Maradona twice as pope. (AFP via Getty Images)
Francis met his fellow Argentine Maradona twice as pope. (AFP via Getty Images)

From meetings with Diego Maradona to the passion for his beloved Buenos Aires club, San Lorenzo, Pope Francis was an avid football fan. And a promoter of sports in general.

Francis died Monday at 88 and the football and sports world immediately paid homage.

All sports events scheduled for Monday in Italy were postponed to mourn Francis, including four top-flight football matches. A minute of silence will be observed before all sports events this week, the Italian Olympic Committee said.

“Italian football joins in the mourning of millions of people following the death of Pope Francis. He was a great example of Christian caring and dignity in the face of suffering and he was always attentive to the sports world and particularly football, of which he was a fan,” said Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina. “He will always remain in the hearts of the faithful and lovers of football.”

Francis’ passion for football became known almost immediately after he was elected pope in 2013 when San Lorenzo tweeted a photo of him holding up the club’s crest. He was even a card-carrying member of the club, with San Lorenzo ID No. 88,235.

San Lorenzo is nicknamed “the Saints.”

In Italy, there were also suggestions that Francis supported Juventus since his family came from the Piedmont region where the Turin club is based. Francis' father, Mario Bergoglio, was a basketball player.

San Lorenzo, one of the oldest teams in the Argentine Football Association, performed well after Francis was elected as the 266th pope in March 2013. The team won a national title in 2013 and then claimed the South American Copa Libertadores for the first time a year later. Club officials traveled twice to the Vatican carrying trophies to thank Francis for his support.

A planned new San Lorenzo stadium is to be named for Francis.

During a meeting with the Argentina and Italy national teams shortly after he was elected, Francis noted the influence of athletes, especially on youth, and told the players to remember that “for better or worse” they are role models. “Dear players, you are very popular. People follow you, and not just on the field but also off it,” he said. “That’s a social responsibility.”

Francis met his fellow Argentine Maradona twice as pope. There was a special audience in connection with a charity football match in 2014 when Maradona presented the pontiff with a football jersey, emblazoned with the name “Francisco” — Spanish for Francis — and Maradona’s No. 10.

“I think we all now realize he’s a (star),” Maradona said after another meeting in 2015. “I’m Francis’ top fan.”

When Maradona died in 2020, Francis remembered the football great in his prayers.

Francis often hailed sports as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.

During a global conference on faith and sport in 2016, Francis implored leaders to do a better job of keeping corruption off the playing field and said sports must be protected from manipulations and commercial abuse.

“Francis was a special pope, able to illuminate in his time like only the greatest can,” Gianluigi Buffon, the former captain of Italy’s national football team who met the pope on multiple occasions, said on Instagram. “He showed us the way with great courage and moved our souls. I will carry his example forever in my heart.”