We join our friends at SAOC in their Olympic Day celebrations
Saudi Arabia’s first ever participation in the Olympics marked the begging of a National frenzy to see the country’s athletes compete amongst the world’s best and brightest.
Saudi first entered athletes in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and has to date has now sent athletes to 11 editions of the international competition.
Headed by Chairman HRH Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SAOC) continues to cultivate the country’s competitive sports abilities while championing the Olympic core values of ‘Excellence, Respect and Friendship’.
Saudi takes its first silver!
Born in Jizan and raised in Taif, Hadi Soua’an Al-Somaily is the first Saudi in history to become an Olympic medalist. Awarded the Silver medal for his performance in the 400-meter hurdle race at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, Hadi crossed the finish line at 47.53 seconds (only .03 seconds behind American Gold medalist Angelo Taylor).
Saudi women compete at the Olympics
The first two Saudi women to ever compete, Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani and Sarah Attar, participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. Wojdan competed in Judo, while Sarah competed in track and field. Sarah also competed in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The history-makers have taken their rightful place in the country’s athletic heritage as national heroes paving the way for other women to excel and achieve in sports on the global stage.
Saudi men’s football qualifies for Tokyo
The Saudi men’s football team qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics through the final match in January 2020 at the AFC U-23 Championship in Thailand. This important qualifier marks Saudi’s return to Olympic soccer for the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta!
We have another special reason to celebrate this month as the Saudi representative to the International Olympic Committee, HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, has been nominated for the International Olympic Committee Executive Board. Princess Reema, a member of the SFA Board of Directors, helps to shape and enhance the Federation’s values across health and wellness metrics.
