JEDDAH – A number of young Saudis have called upon authorities to reopen King Fahd Coastal City, which was abruptly closed without any notice four years ago. The city had served both the young and elderly with advanced facilities for sports and physical exercise for 25 years. The youths requested the Makkah governorate to intervene in order to reopen this vital facility, which had been offering them lots of sporting opportunities. "The closure of the city was a big surprise for me," said Mohammed Al-Saeed while speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The city used to attract thousands of young men every day, who engaged in various activities including football, volleyball, coastal football, tennis, table tennis, squash, weight lifting, taek won do, sauna and jacuzzi. It has a theater that can accommodate 500 people. The city was established in 1987 on an area of 12,000 sq. meters in the heart of Jeddah, spending millions of riyals. According to one report, the General Authority for Sports, which owns the city, has handed it over to the Finance Ministry for investment purposes in favor of the authority. "It was an ideal place for sports and thousands of youths in Jeddah had made use of it," said Al-Saeed. "The city has now become a playing ground for rats. A frightening silence surrounds the facility now after it bustled with activity for 25 long years." Salim Al-Aseeri emphasized the importance of reopening the city quickly for the benefit of the youth after necessary maintenance work. "Many of our young men are unable to join private clubs due to their exorbitant fees. For them the city will be a big blessing," he explained. He said the city has all infrastructure facilities for people to practice various sports, bodybuilding activities and physical exercise. It has swimming pools and courts for different sports. "It's situated in a strategic location and has a vast parking area," he added. "The city has been the center of sports activities in Jeddah for a quarter of a century. People of Jeddah do not have many sporting choices," Al-Aseeri said while stressing the need to reopen the facility.
