RIYADH — The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) will empower people across Saudi Arabia to get fit outdoors and in the community by launching a series of activations in public parks across three cities after penning an agreement with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. Under the agreement, SFA will activate parks and public spaces in Riyadh, Al-Khobar, and Abha by introducing a range of multi-sport and running and walking programs, equipment rentals, and community academies, all part of the Federation's wider strategy to impact long-term behavior and entrench positive attitudes toward sport and family physical activity. With the first pilot activations due to be launched at the end of this year, the initiative is the federation's first step towards delivering its Active Places mandate. The ceremony, held at the Ministry of Sports, was attended by Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports, and Majid Al-Hoqail, Acting Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Minister of Housing. The agreement was signed by SFA President Prince Khaled Bin Alwaleed and Deputy Minister of Planning and Programs Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Dghaither. "Every opportunity to encourage young men and women of this dear country to practice sports is a valuable approach that paves the way for the future of our beloved country on all scales. This agreement between the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and the Saudi Sports for All Federation aims to strengthen cooperation between various sectors, in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2030, which among its priorities is to give its citizens various opportunities in all aspects including the sports side," said Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki. "The signing of this memorandum of understanding, God willing, will activate parks, open spaces, and municipal facilities in different regions of the Kingdom, and it offers those who want to participate in physical activity designated spaces to practice their hobbies. This comes in line with the newly released bylaws regarding the use of municipal real estate. The bylaws enable the development and activation of these facilities by other government entities and in cooperation with the private sector, will support different opportunities across vital sectors," said Minister Majid Al-Hoqail. Al-Hoqail highlighted the continuous cooperation between MoMRA and the Ministry of Sports in executing joint programs working toward the realization of Vision 2030. "During a year of successes for the Sports for All Federation, this agreement stands out as a major achievement," said SFA President Prince Khaled Bin Alwaleed. "Working closely with the Quality of Life program we have activated people, and now, with our partners at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, we will be activating places. With the strong support of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal and the Ministry of Sports, we hope to see our country's parks become hubs of physical activity, health, and wellness. "Every park that we are able to put to work for the fitness of people across Saudi Arabia gets us closer to realizing Vision 2030's goals of a healthy and active community," Prince Khaled concluded. "We have prepared an execution plan in collaboration with the Saudi Sports for All Federation to implement the memorandum. A number of parks and public spaces have been designated in different Saudi cities to have the sports programs. This will improve the quality of services offered in this memorandum, the experience of those who try it, as well as enabling optimal use of municipal buildings," said Deputy Minister of Planning and Programs Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Dghaither. SFA will be the lead entity in designing and activating the parks; developing plans and managing operations, as well measuring the impact of the initiative. MoMRA will act as enabler and facilitator with municipalities to ensure ease of access and provide any necessary permits or endorsements. Active Places is one of three initiatives SFA is responsible for delivering as part of the Quality of Life program under Vision 2030; the other two being Active People, and Initiatives for Residents of Saudi Arabia.
