Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, Monday launched a campaign in support of Riyadh's bid to host the 21st Asian Olympic Games 2030, citing that the Kingdom has officially submitted its nomination file to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Sunday. In a key address during a ceremony to announce the move and launch Saudi Arabia's campaign in support of its candidature to host the event, Prince Abdulaziz vowed that Saudi Arabia is honored to host the Asian Olympic Games 2030 as the occasion will constitute an unvalued opportunity to stimulate sports, social and cultural changes for better future in the Kingdom. He stressed the future would be shaped according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 under the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense. Riyadh has also launched the slogan and logo for its 2030 Asian Games bid and claims the event would be a "driving force in the transformation of the city and Saudi society". Saudi Arabia's capital is battling against Doha in Qatar for the right to stage the flagship OCA event in a decade's time. Both countries submitted their candidature files by Sunday's deadline, with the OCA now confirming they will pick the winner at a General Assembly in Oman's capital Muscat on Dec. 16. Riyadh has opted for the slogan "Transforming the Future", with its logo a map of the Kingdom with sports pictograms included inside. "The bid promises a new model for the Asian Games in a new era for the Kingdom — ultra-modern yet steeped in history, ambitious but realistic, visually stunning but environmentally-conscious," a statement said following a video launch on YouTube. — SPA
