- Date
- 07 Dec 2020
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- NOC News
Find here the latest news from the National Olympic Committee: events, courses, general assemblies and elections, trophies and much more.
7 December 2020
The first virtual international forum of its kind hosted by the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SAOC) and organised by World Taekwondo (WT) in cooperation with the Saudi Taekwondo Federation and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, took place on 27 and 28 November. The event title was “Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum”, and it attracted more than 120,000 views on SAOC social media outlets over both days. Opening speeches were delivered by SAOC President Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue and IOC President Thomas Bach. A number of athletes also took part in the Forum, which addressed themes such as gender equity vs equity in sport; Saudi female leadership; the IOC gender equality movement; and media portrayal. More info at www.olympic.sa and www.worldtaekwondo.org.
23 November 2020
The President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SAOC), Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, chaired the Conference of the National Olympic Committees of the G20 Countries, which was organised in partnership with the Saudi Secretariat of the G20 and was held virtually on 17 November in Riyadh. The Conference was entitled "The Olympic Movement During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic", and is part of the programme of international conferences being held on the sidelines of the Saudi presidency of the G20 this year. The participants discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the Olympic and sports sector at global level after the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to shedding light on the important role that the Olympic Movement is playing in helping the international community to recover from the pandemic socially, economically and from a health standpoint. Among the participants were the IOC President; IOC Member Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud; member of the Board of Directors of the Japanese Olympic Committee Momii Keiko; IOC Member and President of the Italian National Olympic Committee Giovanni Malagò; IOC EB member and Acting President of the Association of National Olympic Committees Robin Mitchell; World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Bańka. The Conference was attended by representatives of all the NOCs of the G20 countries, in addition to representatives of the countries that were invited to attend the G20 Summit, namely the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Spain, Rwanda, Singapore, Switzerland and Vietnam. Also in attendance were representatives of WHO, IFs and Continental Associations.
16 November 2020
The Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee (SAOC) announced that its Director of International Communications, Razan Baker (photo), has been appointed as Chairperson of the International Bowling Federation (IBF)’s Women in Sport Committee by IBF President Sheikh Talal Mohammed Al-Sabah. Dr Baker currently serves on the Saudi Bowling Federation Board whilst also working as a sports columnist for Arab News. She will lead a Committee whose objectives will include setting strategies that advocate increased participation of women athletes in bowling and leadership positions in the IBF and its member federations.
30 October 2020
On 25 October, the Vice-President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SAOC), Prince Fahad bin Jalawi (left in photo), and Princess Dilayel bint Nahar, SAOC Director of Sports and Federations Relations, awarded 30 female trainees with their doping control officer (DCO) certificates after they successfully completed the 1st women’s training course for DCOs organised by the Saudi Arabian Anti-Doping Committee (SAADC). The event was held under the supervision of SAADC President Mohammed Salih Alqunbaz and Secretary General Abdulaziz Almsaad at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex in Riyadh. The three-day workshop covered the key topics of detection, awareness and training, and included both written and practical exams.
12 October 2020
05 October 2020
11 September 2020
At the inaugural virtual meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Education Committee, its Chair, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, who is also President of the Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee (SAOC), explained the important role of education through sport. Since the start of the pandemic, the SAOC has used the power of Olympism to lead innovative digital education programmes and inspire tens of thousands of Saudis to stay active and engage with online learning initiatives – including in global unison on Olympic Day. Following the successful SAOC-led, #StayAtHome campaign, the SAOC President also proposed increasing the implementation of online learning opportunities throughout Asia. More info at www.olympic.sa.
13 January 2020
For the first time since 2015 the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee hosted Olympic Day on 31 December 2019 at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Olympic Complex in Riyadh. Because of the high heat in June, the NOC decided to postpone the event. Around 500 children, their families and NOC employees took part. An Olympic booth provided information on the Olympic Movement and values, and a nutrition booth supplied information on the importance of a healthy diet. The children were able to try out different sports and take part in a 2km fun run. Among the athletes present at the event was 400m Olympic medallist Hadi Soua’an, who talked about his career, and the importance of sport in his life.
The 23rd general assembly of the NOC, chaired by NOC President Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, took place on 25 December. A highlight of the meeting was the election of Adwa Alarifi to the Executive Board, making her the second woman to join the committee.
11 February 2019
The election for the very first Athletes’ Commission of the NOC of Saudi Arabia was held in Riyadh at the NOC headquarters on 3 February, with 40 (male and female) athletes from 29 national federations taking part. With this election, the NOC decided, in line with its statutes, to give a permanent platform and voice to Saudi athletes and get them represented at the General Assembly and on the Executive Committee. The four male and three female athletes who earned the highest number of votes automatically become members of the NOC’s new Athletes’ Commission. Besides the seven elected members, the NOC President will appoint one male and one female athlete. More info at www.olympic.sa.