Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 17, 2021: The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with NEOM to collaborate on developing new Sports Centres of Excellence.
His Royal Highness Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal Al-Saud, President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, signed the MOU with Nadhmi Al-Nasr, NEOM Chief Executive Officer, on Wednesday, June 16.
The agreement sets out plans for the two bodies to cooperate on the development of the Saudi Arabian sporting ecosystem and to enhance its collaboration and competitiveness on the world stage. It also encourages partnership in the development of a national strategy for sport across the country.
NEOM, an acronym for New Enterprise Operating Model, is a planned cross-border smart city in the Tabuk Province of North-Western Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea. It will function as a tourist destination.
The President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee stressed that, apart from the MOU providing Sports Centres of Excellence for specific sports, it would also provide a roadmap to hosting international sporting events through joint working groups with the Ministry of Sports and SAOC. He said, collectively, these activities would help ensure that the Kingdom’s sport activities aligned with Vision 2030.
Commenting on the MOU, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, NEOM CEO, said: “This partnership is a natural extension of our existing strategy to make NEOM a future international sports destination capable of generating innovative investment opportunities and engendering a greater understanding of active lifestyles in the Kingdom.
“This agreement further emphasises the shared ambitions between our two organisations, which will put NEOM on the global map as a modern hub for global sports,” Al-Nasr added.
