Beijing, China, February 4, 2022: The Beijing Winter Olympics are providing an unforgettable moment for the Olympic movement in Saudi Arabia – and Thursday, February 3 was a special day as the nation’s first Winter Olympics delegation arrived in Beijing.
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, President of the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee (SOPC), headed the delegation.
HRH Prince Abdulaziz expressed his utmost appreciation for the generous support of the Saudi government; the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and HRH the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, for paving the way for all Saudi athletes to participate and compete in all sports.
He added that this effort was fruitful through the qualification of the first-ever Saudi rower, Hussain Alireza, who qualified to Tokyo 2020, and now through the first-ever participation at the Winter Olympics through Alpine Skiing athlete Fayik Abdi who secured his place and qualified to Beijing 2022.
“Meanwhile, it seems Saudis are still attached to the nation’s first Olympic appearance back in Munich in 1972,” said a press release by the SOPC. “They believe that this moment is no different, as a new sporting path has opened its doors to welcome more Saudis to compete and embrace a new sporting lifestyle.”
The Saudi Winter Olympics participation will see Abdi competing in the giant slalom event less than two months after securing his qualification points for Beijing 2022.
The story of this historical participation came after less than two years of forming the Saudi Winter Sports Federation (SWSF), which oversees all winter sports activities in the Kingdom. This step is one of many steps to build on the successful Vision 2030 initiatives which aim to open new windows for the Saudi youth to pursue their dreams and go far away in fulfilling their sporting ambitions.
In May of 2021, SOPC and SWSF launched a nationwide talent campaign seeking young Saudis to represent Saudi Arabia at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. The movement presented outstanding results, as six professional Saudi winter sports athletes, including Abdi, proved their readiness to take on the challenge and take their nation to mark its first appearance ever at the grand winter sporting event.
