The stunning 75-minute opening ceremony for the Saudi Games 2022 took place on Friday night in King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
The first-ever games were inaugurated in the presence of Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, the governor of the Riyadh region, under the patronage of King Salman and on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
The competition, which will continue through November 7 and feature more than 6,000 athletes from more than 200 clubs, will feature competition in 45 individual and team sports, five of which are specifically designed as Paralympic sports.
The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s president, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, stated during the opening ceremony that King Salman’s support for the games “motivates us to work and aim toward the vision that Prince Mohammed bin Salman drew.”
Hadi Sawan, the first Saudi to win an Olympic medal in the 400m hurdles at Sydney 2000, and Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi, who earned the bronze medal in the men’s 100 meters T53 event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics last year, carried the Saudi Games flame to its final destination.
International DJ David Guetta performed a concert as the event came to a close.
