The Saudi Arabian Olympic & Paralympic Committee (SOPC) President Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal held a signing ceremony to host the 2023 World Combat Games (WCG) with the President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and SportAccord Ivo Ferriani Sunday. SOPC Vice President Prince Fahd Bin Jalawi and GAISF Multi-Sport Games Chairman and GAISF Vice President Stephan Fox also attended the signing at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Olympic Complex in Riyadh. Prince Abdulaziz shared his gratefulness to the Kingdom's government and their continued trust and support, which helped the sports field flourish and compete to win the host of many major international sporting events. He added, "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is honored to have been presented with the opportunity of hosting the world's best athletes in Riyadh. I want to express our gratitude to GAISF for their trust in selecting us to host the World Combat Games 2023, which celebrates unity and champions diversity." According to the signing, the event will run for nine days and include 15 recognized martial arts sports; Aikido, Judo, Jujitsu, Karate, Kendo, boxing, Kick Boxing, Muay Thai, Sambo, Savate, Sumo, Taekwondo, Wrestling, Wushu, and Fencing. The event will combine between sports and culture by featuring the first World Martial Arts Gala to honor the legends of martial arts and combat sports. Commenting on the signing, Ferriani said, "GAISF is looking forward to this incredible celebration of combat sports and martial arts in the beautiful city of Riyadh. There is no better host for this major multisport games, bringing together the best athletes and their respective International Federations in a festival celebratory atmosphere." Meanwhile, Fox, who is also a former martial art world champion, added, "I would like to express our gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal and the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for their commitment to hosting the World Combat Games 2023, an event very much in line with the Kingdom's ambitious Saudi Vision 2030. "With preparations for the event already well under way and with the support of more than 15 combat sports and martial arts, which are members of GAISF, we do not doubt that this event will be a huge success." Saudi Arabia has already successfully hosted several major sporting events, including the latest Formula 1 Grand Prix 2022 four weeks ago. This event, for example, attracted more than thousands of spectators from around the world. These initiatives notably come from the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims to increase awareness and participation in sports in society. — SG
