Deputizing for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, the Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, attended Saturday the opening ceremony the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 at the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
The ceremony was also attended by Prince Khalid bin Talal, the president of the Saudi Sports for All Federation; Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, the Vice President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC); Saudi Ambassador to Berlin Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Sultan; Adwa Al-Arifi, member of the Saudi Olympic Committee, and Maha Al-Juffali, president of the Saudi Special Olympics Federation.
The Kingdom is participating in the Special Olympics World Games Berlin with a delegation comprising 85 male and female athletes in 15 sports (handball, basketball, judo, bowling, football, equestrian, badminton, volleyball, beach volleyball, bocce, athletics, cycling, weightlifting, table tennis, swimming).
On this occasion, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki expressed thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their support to sports which has had its immeasurable contributions to the sector of sporting and to the achievements of the Saudi teams and athletes in global events.
The Ministre of Sports also underlined that the Saudi leadership’s support to sports has led to increasing the percentage of people practicing sports and physical activities on a weekly basis to 48 percent of the total population practicing sports for at least 30 minutes per week, compared to what it was in 2019, when it was 19 percent.
He also noted that the percentage of the people practicing physical activity for 150 minutes also increased from 20 percent in 2019 to 29 percent in 2021, which reflects the rising awareness of the importance of exercising among all segments of the society, which would contribute to achieving one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030 by reaching a healthy and active society.
Source: Saudi Press Agency