Saudi Arabia’s sports minister, chairman of UAE sports authority discuss cooperation

KONYA: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal met with the Chairman of the UAE’s General Authority of Sports Ahmed Belhoul Al-Falasi to discuss cooperation in the field of sports, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Thursday. 

The meeting between Prince Abdulaziz – who is also the Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation – and Al-Falasi was held on the sidelines of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Turkey’s Konya.

Al-Falasi highlighted the UAE’s full support for the Kingdom’s bid to host the ninth edition of the 2029 Asian Winter Games – a move he said would be a key step in popularizing winter sports in West Asia, according to WAM. 

He confirmed his support for Riyadh hosting the 2023 World Combat Games. 

The two discussed the possibility of signing cooperation agreements in sports, with Al-Falasi highlighting the importance of organizing joint bilateral meetings and workshops to exchange knowledge between various sports entities, WAM reported. 

They also discussed the formation of joint coordination entities that comprise of various sporting authorities from the UAE and Saudi Arabia to establish action plans, strategies, programs, and initiatives.