The Saudi sporting champions of the future will be able to hone their talents at Qiddiya, according to Mike Reininger, CEO of Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC). The 334km sq giga-project on the outskirts of Riyadh is due to open its doors in four years’ time.
Dubbed the future entertainment capital of the kingdom, a key component of the $8 billion city is sports and wellness. This includes a 20,000-seat cliff-top stadium, an 18,000-seat indoor arena, an aquatic centre and a sports hub. Qiddiya has already been chosen as the final venue for the Dakar Rally in 2020. And Reininger also revealed the Formula One-standard track being built at the development will be among the best in the world.
“When we were creating our master plan it was important to us to create world-class facilities capable of hosting international events, whether that’s motor sports events like Formula 1 or global sporting competitions.”
Meanwhile, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the General Sport Authority (GSA) has revealed a huge funding package to support sports clubs. During a press conference, he said the GSA will be distributing SAR2.5 billion (2.4bn) among clubs encouraging them to work according to a general framework for an effective governance system that contributes to their development on sports and administrative levels.
