JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia's Olympic champion and Karate player Tarek Hamdi was given a champion's welcome with a grand celebration at Jeddah airport following his silver medal win at the Tokyo Games. Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, who is also the president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, accompanied Hamdi upon his arrival. Dozens of photographers lined up to capture the moment the athlete walked out of the arrival gates and accepted flower bouquets from young aspiring karatekas. Hamdi thanked the Saudi fans for their overwhelming feelings and support. He said that achieving the silver medal is the first thing of many upcoming medals. "I promise the Saudi fans with bringing back home a gold medal in the future," he added. Hamdi was leading on points in the men's over-75kg final in the Tokyo Olympic Games when he was disqualified for throwing a high kick and knocking out his opponent. On Friday, the sports minister announced that the karate player would still be honored with the gold medal award and gifted SR5 million because of his near win.
