Saudi sports minister, IOC chief meet in Riyadh

RIYADH: Minister of sports and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) received the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, upon his arrival in the Kingdom on Saturday.

The Olympic chief and Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz held their meeting in Riyadh.

The trip is Bach’s third to Saudi Arabia since being elected as the IOC’s president in 2013.

As part of his visit, Bach was given a tour of the facilities hosting the ongoing Saudi Games 2023.

During their meeting, the two discussed the major role played by the Kingdom on the global sporting stage was discussed, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The visit underscored the robust relationship between the two sides, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, SPA added. 

The vision has positioned the Kingdom as a permanent hub for global sports through the hosting of several significant sporting events.

Among these are the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2025, the Asian Winter Games TROJENA 2029, and the Asian Games Riyadh 2034, in addition to numerous championships and sporting events.