RIYADH— The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced its participation in the 17th Summer Paralympics in the French capital Paris, from August 28 to September 8. Nine male and female Saudis will compete in items such as athletics, weightlifting, taekwondo, table tennis and dressage riding. This will be the largest Saudi delegation in terms of the number of games in the history of its participation in the tournament. Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for their support, care and attention to the sports sector in the Kingdom, saying that this resulted in the Kingdom's presence in all major sporting forums and events, and its participation for the first time in its history in five Paralympic sport items. "Sports for people with disabilities receive special attention in the Kingdom, and in this regard, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to King Salman and the Crown Prince for their generous and unlimited support to bring the sports sector in the Kingdom to what it has reached," he said. The Kingdom will be represented in Paralympic athletics by Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi (100m) and (400m), Hassan Doshi (long jump), Noor Al-Sanaa (100m), Sarah Al-Juma (shot put), and Ali Al-Nakhli in the 100m and 200m races, Adnan Saeed in weightlifting, Ayad Al-Treik in taekwondo, Ghalia Al-Anzi in table tennis, and the horse rider Ahmed Al-Sharbatli in dressage. It is noteworthy that the Kingdom participated for the first time in the Paralympic Games in the Atlanta Games in 1996 with 2 players, then with 4 players in Sydney 2000 and 7 players in Athens 2004. In Beijing, despite the participation of only 3 players, player Osama Al-Shanqeeti won a gold medal in the triple jump and a silver medal in the high jump. With the participation of 4 players in London 2012, player Hani Al-Nakhli won a silver medal in the discus throw, and the same player won a bronze medal in the shot put at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, which witnessed the participation of 3 Saudi players, and then participation with a larger number in Tokyo 2020 with 7 Saudi players and Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi won a bronze medal in the 100m wheelchair in athletics.
