Latest news with #Al-Faisal
The Herald
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Saudi Arabia not ruling out a bid for 2035 Rugby World Cup
'A multi-host could be a successful story and a new model for rugby. UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Why not? The stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby,' he said. The UAE are ranked 49th in the world, with Qatar 87th and Saudi Arabia not in the top 113. Australia hosts the next men's tournament in 2027 with the US in 2031. Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia, which has also been awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games, has 97 sports federations and could not host everything. 'But why do we have 97 federations? Because we want to promote sports, even the smallest sports that maybe a small number of people participate in, in Saudi or there isn't that big of an interest, so at least someone can play that sport in the kingdom.' The country has spent heavily on sport but critics accuse it of 'sportswashing' its human rights record. The country denies rights abuses and says it protects national security through its laws.
TimesLIVE
21-04-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Saudi Arabia not ruling out a bid for 2035 Rugby World Cup
Saudi Arabia, hosts of the 2034 Soccer World Cup, could make a bid for the 2035 Rugby World Cup despite barely playing the game. Sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal was not ruling it out when he met reporters on the sidelines of Sunday's floodlit Formula One grand prix in Jeddah. 'We're interested in rugby, we're interested in developing the sport locally, so we created a federation to see what we can do to develop the sport,' he said. 'I don't think we're on the level of hosting yet but 2035 is in 10 years so maybe it grows in that direction and we see a big interest in that, then why not?' The Times newspaper reported last month Saudi Arabia could join with Qatar, who hosted the 2022 Soccer World Cup, and the United Arab Emirates in a joint bid for 2035 or 2039. It quoted Asia Rugby president Qais Al Dhalai, an Emirati, as saying it could happen. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are officially teaming up to launch a joint bid to host the 2035 or 2039 Rugby World Cup - a first for the region and potentially, a very big moment for the global game. Georgia Tolley gets the take of Benjamin Van Rooyen, CEO of Asia Rugby. - Dubai Eye 103.8 'A multi-host could be a successful story and a new model for rugby. UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Why not? The stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby,' he said. The UAE are ranked 49th in the world, with Qatar 87th and Saudi Arabia not in the top 113. Australia hosts the next men's tournament in 2027 with the US in 2031. Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia, which has also been awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games, has 97 sports federations and could not host everything. 'But why do we have 97 federations? Because we want to promote sports, even the smallest sports that maybe a small number of people participate in, in Saudi or there isn't that big of an interest, so at least someone can play that sport in the kingdom.' The country has spent heavily on sport but critics accuse it of 'sportswashing' its human rights record. The country denies rights abuses and says it protects national security through its laws. Al-Faisal said boxing was showing rapid growth, with more and more gyms opening as the country hosted world title fights, and golf was the same. 'We had a very small percentage of youth playing in golf but now after LIV Golf, and after the tournaments that we've hosted in the kingdom, we see a big number of participation,' he said. Cricket was another sport with potential due to the large number of foreign workers from elsewhere in Asia. 'I think in the cricket league we have around 35,000 players already, 90% of them are not Saudi, but we want to accommodate that because they live here, we want to provide for them,' said the prince. 'So does it mean we're going to host a big cricket tournament or match in the future? Maybe. But we'll see how it goes towards that, and if it makes sense to host these events.'
New Straits Times
21-04-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Saudi Arabia not ruling out a bid for 2035 Rugby World Cup
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia, hosts of the 2034 football World Cup, could make a bid for the 2035 Rugby World Cup despite barely playing the game. Sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal was not ruling it out when he met reporters on the sidelines of Sunday's floodlit Formula One grand prix in Jeddah. "We're interested in rugby, we're interested in developing the sport locally, so we created a federation to see what we can do to develop the sport," he said. "I don't think we're on the level of hosting yet but '35 is in 10 years so maybe it grows in that direction and we see a big interest in that, then why not?" The Times newspaper reported last month that Saudi Arabia could join with Qatar, who hosted the 2022 football World Cup, and the United Arab Emirates in a joint bid for 2035 or 2039. It quoted Asia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai, an Emirati, as saying it could happen. "A multi-host could be a successful story and a new model for rugby. UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Why not? The stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby," he said. The UAE are ranked 49th in the world, with Qatar 87th and Saudi Arabia not in the top 113. Australia will host the next men's tournament in 2027 with the United States in 2031. Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia, which has also been awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games, have 97 sports federations and could not host everything. "But why do we have 97 federations? Because we want to promote sports, even the smallest sports that maybe a small number of people participate in Saudi or there isn't that big of an interest, so at least someone can play that sport in the kingdom." Al-Faisal said boxing was showing rapid growth, with more and more gyms opening as the country hosted world title fights, and golf was the same. "We had a very small percentage of youth playing in golf but now after LIV Golf, and after the tournaments that we've hosted in the kingdom, we see a big number of participation," he said. Cricket was another sport with potential due to the large number of foreign workers from elsewhere in Asia. "I think in the cricket league we have around 35,000 players already, 90 per cent of them are not Saudi, but we want to accommodate that because they live here, we want to provide for them," said the prince. "So does it mean we're going to host a big cricket tournament or match in the future? Maybe. But we'll see how it goes towards that, and if it makes sense to host these events." - Reuters
Independent Singapore
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
'We're ready' — Saudi Arabia willing to host 64-team World Cup in 2034
Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness and willingness to host a 64-team World Cup in 2034, provided that FIFA approves the controversial proposal to expand the tournament from 48 teams. The 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, will have 48 teams, up from 32 in 2022. Furthermore, the South American football organisation, CONMEBOL, has suggested that the 2030 World Cup be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco with 64 teams, but some other regions did not agree with this idea, according to The Straits Times. Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said at the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah that Saudi Arabia would have no problem with increasing the number of teams. He stated, ' We're ready, or we will be ready, inshallah (God willing). If that's a decision that FIFA takes and thinks that that's a good decision for everyone, then we're more than happy to deliver on it.' Moreover, he emphasised Saudi Arabia's strong infrastructure for religious pilgrims, mentioning that four million people attended Mecca for Umrah during Ramadan this year and that five million are expected for the Hajj, showing the country's capability to handle large-scale events. Saudi Arabia as 2034 host In December, the global soccer governing body officially announced Saudi Arabia as the host for the 2034 men's World Cup. Although uncontested, it drew sharp criticism from human rights organisations, who raised concerns over the country's human rights record, including issues related to freedom of expression, women's rights, and the treatment of migrant workers. Critics accuse the country of 'sportswashing', or using sports to distract from its human rights record. The government denies these allegations, stating that its laws are in place to protect national security. Despite the backlash, Saudi Arabia continues to push forward with its plans, using the tournament as part of its broader Vision 2030 initiative to boost its global image. As part of its 2034 World Cup bid, Saudi Arabia pledged to deliver 15 new or renovated stadiums by 2032. As these projects are expected to rely heavily on migrant labour, this has drawn further scrutiny from rights organisations. With this, Al-Faisal declared that worker safety is a top priority for Saudi Arabia. He said that organisers are in regular contact with FIFA and Qatar, the hosts of the 2022 World Cup, to learn from their experience and improve their standards. More so, alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia, as it is prohibited for observant Muslims. Al-Faisal confirmed that the 2034 World Cup will follow this rule, meaning the tournament will be alcohol-free. He admitted, 'The law now here in Saudi is that there's no alcohol. Will that change in the future? We don't know. But I don't see it really affecting our sporting events at all… We've had more than 100 international events so far. We've had people come from all over the world to attend these sporting events. And everyone's happy with the hospitality, the setup, the experience that they get.' 'I don't see it as an issue, to be honest. So I hope it's not going to be an issue,' he added.
The Star
21-04-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Saudi Arabia not ruling out a bid for 2035 World Cup
JEDDAH (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia, hosts of the 2034 soccer World Cup, could make a bid for the 2035 Rugby World Cup despite barely playing the game. Sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal was not ruling it out when he met reporters on the sidelines of Sunday's floodlit Formula One grand prix in Jeddah. "We're interested in rugby, we're interested in developing the sport locally, so we created a federation to see what we can do to develop the sport," he said. "I don't think we're on the level of hosting yet but '35 is in 10 years so maybe it grows in that direction and we see a big interest in that, then why not?" The Times newspaper reported last month that Saudi Arabia could join with Qatar, who hosted the 2022 soccer World Cup, and the United Arab Emirates in a joint bid for 2035 or 2039. It quoted Asia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai, an Emirati, as saying it could happen. "A multi-host could be a successful story and a new model for rugby. UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Why not? The stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby," he said. The UAE are ranked 49th in the world, with Qatar 87th and Saudi Arabia not in the top 113. Australia hosts the next men's tournament in 2027 with the United States in 2031. Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia, which has also been awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games, has 97 sports federations and could not host everything. "But why do we have 97 federations? Because we want to promote sports, even the smallest sports that maybe a small number of people participate in in Saudi or there isn't that big of an interest, so at least someone can play that sport in the kingdom." The country has spent heavily on sport but critics accuse it of 'sportswashing' its human rights record. The country denies rights abuses and says it protects national security through its laws. Al-Faisal said boxing was showing rapid growth, with more and more gyms opening as the country hosted world title fights, and golf was the same. "We had a very small percentage of youth playing in golf but now after LIV Golf, and after the tournaments that we've hosted in the kingdom, we see a big number of participation," he said. Cricket was another sport with potential due to the large number of foreign workers from elsewhere in Asia. "I think in the cricket league we have around 35,000 players already, 90% of them are not Saudi, but we want to accommodate that because they live here, we want to provide for them," said the prince. "So does it mean we're going to host a big cricket tournament or match in the future? Maybe. But we'll see how it goes towards that, and if it makes sense to host these events." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Peter Rutherford)
