Significant achievements for Saudi sports in 2021.. Jeddah Circuit hosts the...

Prepared by – Mahmoud Al-Awadi

The year 2021 witnessed many sports achievements in various local and international tournaments, and Saudi sports stars were able to raise the name of the Kingdom high in many forums.
Despite the harsh conditions and difficult challenges brought about by the Corona pandemic in the world in general and in various fields, Saudi sport pursued what was able to keep pace with the situation, as Saudi Arabia continued to host and organize sporting and international events and events, which made the Kingdom the focus of the world and international media; Both foreign and Arab.
Thanks to the unprecedented support that the sports sector received, like the rest of the state sectors, from the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the support and follow-up of the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the Ministry of Sports has been working to move forward towards achieving the goals of the vision The Kingdom 2030, and the implementation of plans and strategies, to enhance the Kingdom’s position regionally and globally, as well as creating a vibrant sports community with the highest standards of quality of life.
• The Kingdom and Motorsports..

The Kingdom hosted the 2021 Dakar Rally (the largest engine race) on January 2 for the second consecutive season, with the participation of more than 500 competitors from different countries of the world with a distance of more than 7,600 km.
Organizing and holding the Eastern Desert Rally as the third round of the World Cup for Short Desert Rally “Baha”, and the first round of the Saudi Desert Rally Championship, with the participation of many contestants in the five categories.
Al-Ula governorate hosted the “Extreme e Al-Ula” race as part of the Kingdom’s great interest in the sports sector and clean energy, and looking towards the future through the Kingdom’s vision “2030”. The first in the history of the Extreme E series of electric SUVs

* International add-ons.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman honored the “Saudi Cup” horse racing competition, which was won by the horse “Mushrif” from Saudi Arabia, with a financial prize of $20 million.
The Crown Prince also witnessed the second round of the “Formula E Diriyah 2021” race, which was held in the historic Diriyah for the third year in a row, as part of the seventh season of the EBB FIA Formula E World Championship. Britain’s Sam Bird of Jaguar won the second round of the Formula E race in Diriyah.
On the occasion of the Kingdom’s hosting of the Formula 1 race for the first time, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit was built in record time and with international specifications, with a length of 6175 meters, the second longest circuit in the history of Formula 1 after the Belgian “Spa-Francorchamps” circuit, and the Jeddah circuit is the fastest with 27 a turn. The Crown Prince honored the exciting race on December 5, 2021, which was crowned by British driver Lewis Hamilton.

* Crown Prince Camel Festival.
The city of Taif hosted the third edition of the Crown Prince Camel Festival, which was organized by the Saudi Camel Federation, at the Taif Governorate Camel Race Course, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The festival allocated financial prizes that are considered among the highest prizes in sports races, with a total value of 53 million riyals, for which hundreds of the most famous local, Arab and international camel owners competed, in two “preliminary and final” stages, with a total of 532 runs, and the festival allocated one million riyals for a prize Saif, the Crown Prince, and the Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, sponsored the conclusion of the Crown Prince’s Camel Festival in Taif.
The Kingdom hosted the Club World Handball Championship (Super Globe 2021) for the second time in a row in Jeddah from 5 to 9 last October. The German Magdeburg team won the championship after defeating Barcelona in the final.
Hosting the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Jeddah from 3 to 12 October, with the participation of 45 countries.
For the third time in a row, Jeddah hosted the 3×3 Basketball World Finals, in December 2021, and the Serbian Lehman team won the championship cup.

* Women’s Football League.
– The first edition of the Women’s Football League was launched in 3 groups in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and after the end of the group stage, the quorum of the 8 teams qualified for the Kingdom’s Women’s Football Championship, which will be held at the (Radiant Jewel) stadiums in Jeddah, from 1 to 8 January, was completed. Next, 3 teams from Al Gharbia qualified: Nisour Jeddah (the champion), Al Asifah (the runner-up) and Maras (the third), and 3 from the Central: Al Yamama (the champion), Al Tahadi (the runner-up) and Sama (the third), in addition to two teams from the Eastern Province, namely: Eastern flame (the hero) and the kingdom (runner-up).
The eight teams will participate in the knockout system in two rounds: the quarter-finals and semi-finals, from which the winning team will be crowned the Kingdom’s Women’s Football Champion.

* Achievements of the champions of the homeland 2021..
Tarek Hamdi won the Karate Silver Medal at the “Tokyo 2020” Olympic Games in the +75 kg weight category. The Olympic champion was honored to meet His Highness the Crown Prince after his return from Tokyo.
– Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi wins bronze in the 100m wheelchair race at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
– Tariq Hamdi wins the gold in the Asian Karate Championships, and Saudi Arabia won 19 various medals in the Kingdom’s biggest achievement.
The Saudi Green Football Club is close to qualifying for the World Cup after topping Group B with 16 points from 6 matches.
The Crown Prince receives the president and members of the board of directors of Al Hilal, the team’s players, and the technical and administrative bodies; On the occasion of Al Hilal’s achievement of the 2021 AFC Champions League title at King Fahd Stadium, after defeating the Korean Pohang by a double to become the most crowned title, and qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup 2022 in Abu Dhabi.
– Saudi Arabia gets first place in the AFC classification for club competitions for the first time in its history.

Al-Ittihad wins the silver of the Mohammed VI Cup for Champions Clubs after a historic final against Moroccan Raja, which scored 8 goals.
Green Youth crowned the Arab Under-20 Cup after defeating Algeria in the final with two goals to one.
– Junior Green wins the silver medal in the West Asian Cup for U-17 Juniors.
Al-Akhdar juniors crowned the sixth Gulf Junior Volleyball Championship after defeating Bahrain in the final.
The Olympic Green wins the silver medal in the U-23 West Asian Cup.
Saudi Abdullah Nada wins the bronze medal in the U-16 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Faris Kashmiri won the bronze in the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Abu Dhabi.

The Saudi team crowned the 40th Arab Golf Championship in Cairo, with the participation of 13 teams.
Yazid Al-Rajhi crowned the Baja Italia title within the activities of the World Cup for Cross-Country Rally
– Dania Akil won the World Cup for Cross-Country Rally in the T3 category.
The rider, Saleh Al-Seif, continues his superiority in the T4 category, as he topped the general rankings and was crowned the champion of the Italian Baja in his category.
– Green shooters reap the runner-up of the Asian Championship in Kazakhstan via (Atallah Al-Enezi – Aqeel Al-Badrani – and Safar Al-Dosari).