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Riyadh Stars team win Saudi Arabia’s 1st Women’s Hockey Championship

RIYADH: Hockey team Riyadh Stars have won the Kingdom’s first Women’s Championship and received their award from Saudi Hockey Federation’s President Mohammed Al-Mandil on Monday. Al-Mandil handed the cup and gold medals to the winners of the tournament, which took place at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh from Sept. 10-11. Riyadh Najd took second place and collected silver medals, while the Jeddah Pearls team were third. Al-Mandil also crowned Najd Falcons winners of the Hockey Championship (men’s category), while the Arab Legends team came second and the British School third. Asmaa Al-Shami was the female tournament’s best goalkeeper while Kayra Ingerir won the award for top scorer.

Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema misses Monday’s training session

RIYADH: French striker Karim Benzema, who captains Saudi football club Al-Ittihad, missed Monday’s training session due to the vacation granted to players during the international break. According to a media statement issued on Tuesday, Al-Ittihad resumed training after the vacation granted to the club’s international players by their Portuguese coach Nuno Santo during the break of the Saudi Professional League that coincided with FIFA days. Benzema is expected to join his teammates for Tuesday night training. Player Abdulrahman Al-Oubud, who only participated in the morning session, also missed the evening group training. Ranked third in the SPL behind leaders Al-Hilal and second-placed Al-Taawoun with 12 points, Al-Ittihad are preparing to face Al-Okhdood on Thursday in the match that brings them together in SPL’s sixth round, at Prince Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Najran. Coach Santo is looking forward to the last two sessions ahead of the match to find the optimal lineup that will face Al-Okhdoud, in light of the confirmed absence of his compatriot Jota and Brazilian player Cornado due to injury. Al-Ittihad collected 12 points after winning four out of their five matches with only one home defeat against Al-Hilal in the previous round.

International fencing delegation looks at Saudi Arabia’s readiness to host World Championship

RIYADH: A delegation representing the International Fencing Federation has arrived in Saudi Arabia to ascertain the Kingdom’s readiness to host the World Fencing Championship for Juniors and Youth in April. Headed by the IFF’s CEO Nathalie Rodriguez, along with her companions, and accompanied by Tunisian Ziad Al-Friyani, the competition director and head of the legal committee, the delegation is visiting the Kingdom to examine the preparations in Riyadh, which hosts the championship between April 12 and 20 next year. Ahmed Al-Sabban, the president of the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation, and Abdullah Al-Sunidi, the federation’s executive director, are accompanying the delegation during the three-day visit, said a media statement. A meeting will be held on Wednesday with Al-Sabban to discuss hosting requirements and needs. The delegation on Tuesday visited the sports hall at King Saud University which is due to host the championship, and toured the premises and looked at transportation and technical requirements. The IFF’s General Assembly in November named Riyadh as host of the major global event.