JEDDAH: The people at the helm of Saudi golf never seem to run out of ideas to grow and promote the game.
From staging high-profile events, chief of which is the European Tour-sanctioned Saudi International, to appointing golf ambassadors from the European Ladies Tour and sponsoring CNN show “Living Golf,” the Saudi Golf Federation (SGF) and Golf Saudi are working to put Saudi Arabia on the golf map.
For their latest initiative they are looking at the grassroots level, schools, to introduce the game.
Their new education and training program, “Get into Golf,” is to be launched by the SGF in partnership with Tadrees Holding, a leading company in the field of education.
Tadrees and Saudi Arabia’s golf governing body have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), confirming their desire to jointly roll out the program in partner schools throughout the country.
The program seeks to implement golf coaching strategies across the Tadrees’ schools network and enrich the lives of Saudi youths. The program will provide students with a sporting opportunity that is fun, engaging, and that instils in them lifelong social and athletic skills. The program will also establish an educational framework for physical education (PE) teachers within the Tadrees network to expand their knowledge base by providing them with additional skills and qualifications.
Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of the SGF, commented: “Our ultimate goal at the SGF is to grow the game of golf, so the maximum amount of people are aware (of it) and can experience the benefits and value of the game. Working closely with Tadrees Holding is essential to delivering the tiered program we strive for at Saudi Arabian schools.”
As part of the agreement, the SGF will appoint a representative to act as the coordinator overseeing the roll out, and to act as the liaison for communications between both entities.
The SGF will also loan SNAG (Starting New At Golf) coaching equipment to all schools within the Tadrees network, along with golf coaching education to PE teachers by way of its “Train the Trainer” program, which will see qualified professionals assigned to provide assistance to ensure best practice and successful implementation.
“Creating a strategic alliance with the SGF, a forward-thinking and visionary organization, is a natural progression in our continuation of developing a world-class and modern educational program within schools and higher education” said Walid Bahamdan, a board member of Tadrees Holding.
“Aligned with our vision, the skills and character development golf offers has a direct and indirect opportunity to support the Kingdom’s children and develop a culture of inclusion and excitement towards golf participation by providing children in our schools with golf uniforms, T-shirts, caps, giveaways and certificates of achievement.”
The SGF is also working with the Ministry of Education to support the development of new sports, skills, and careers in education. This will be delivered through a tiered, progressive program, delivered through PE teachers. by providing training, equipment, and frameworks to conduct the foundation levels of golf introduction.
Golf Saudi, a subsidiary of the SGF, has also embarked on its own mass participation and education pathway to meet its targets of creating 3,700 jobs by 2030, and to train up to 24,000 new golfers.
The alliance between both parties fully aligns with the SGF’s long-term vision. Both the SGF and Tadrees Holdings are committed to providing access to golf via multi-level developments and promote the game by creating interest and touch points throughout the Kingdom.
As part of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia endeavors to provide students at schools, and particularly in higher education, with a modern curriculum with key focus on character development, as well as literacy, numeracy, and other skills. The SGF’s educational program will integrate with existing Tadrees Holdings’ initiatives and both parties will strive to place golf on the sporting curriculum.
Saudi Golf Federation unveils ‘Get into Golf’ program in schools
https://arab.news/8sdbm
Saudi Golf Federation unveils ‘Get into Golf’ program in schools
Chaabani believes debutants Berkane can win CAF Champions League
“The Champions League is a tougher competition, with high-level opponents,” he said
JOHANNESBURG: Renaissance Berkane coach Mouin Chaabani believes the Moroccan club could go one better than CAF Champions League title-holders Pyramids and win the competition at the first attempt.
Cairo outfit Pyramids won the premier African club competition last Sunday in only their second appearance by beating South African rivals Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on aggregate.
Berkane last month became Moroccan champions for the first time, finishing 13 points ahead of runners-up FAR Rabat.
Called the Orange Boys as they are based in the citrus-growing northeast of Morocco, Renaissance will debut in the Champions League this year.
It is a milestone for a club formed in 1938 and overshadowed for decades by Casablanca giants Raja and Wydad, both three-time African champions.
Berkane finally conquered Morocco by winning 21 of 30 matches, drawing seven, losing just two, scoring 49 goals and conceding only 14 in a championship ranked the second toughest in Africa.
While Berkane are Champions League debutants, they are no strangers to Africa having
competed in the past eight editions of the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup, winning three
finals.
They were also runners-up twice to Egyptian opponents Zamalek, losing one title decider after a penalty shootout and another on away goals.
Chaabani, a 43-year-old Tunisian, acknowledges that competing in the Champions League will be more challenging than the Confederation Cup.
“The Champions League is a tougher competition, with high-level opponents,” the coach who won back-to-back titles in the most prized African club competition with Tunis outfit Esperance told reporters.
“Thanks to repeated appearances in the Confederation Cup, I think Berkane have acquired continental experience. We have an ambitious squad capable of competing at the highest level.
“We will approach the Champions League campaign with great respect for opponents, but also with a desire to go far. Why not aim for the title?
“Our supporters can play a key role. Their unwavering backing, at home and away, has carried us through difficult times as well as joyful moments.”
The Municipal Stadium in Berkane accommodates just 15,000 spectators, and their closeness to the pitch creates what many visiting coaches have called “an intimidating atmosphere.”
Berkane won 43 of 49 home Confederation Cup matches since debuting in 2015, drew the other six, scored 113 goals and conceded only 18.
En route to the latest Confederation Cup triumph, they excelled at home, firing five goals past
Dadje of Benin and Stellenbosch of South Africa and four past CS Constantine of Algeria in the semifinals.
The Champions League is becoming increasingly competitive and unpredictable with the success of Pyramids not foreseen when the competition kicked off last August.
The Cairo club boast a prolific scorer in Congolese Fiston Mayele, whose nine goals won him the Champions League Golden Boot.
Pyramids, fellow Egyptian challengers and record 12-time African champions Al Ahly, Sundowns and Esperance of Tunisia will hope to claim the $4 million (EUR3.5 million) first prize.
Mouloudia Alger of Algeria, who are poised to qualify, and FAR were quarter-finalists last season and capable of going further this time.
Apart from the regular campaigners, there will be newcomers like Wiliete of Angola, Colombe of Cameroon and possibly Police, who need one point from two matches to become Kenyan champions.
Originally due to kick off in August, the Champions League will be delayed as the African Nations Championship (CHAN) has been rescheduled for that month.
Casualties in stampede at India cricket celebrations: Indian media
- Broadcasters showed police carrying young children in their arms rushing away from crowds
- India's NDTV broadcaster reported to have left at least 11 people dead
BENGALURU: A stampede broke out as a tightly packed crowd celebrated the sporting win of their home cricket team in the Indian city of Bengaluru, resulting in multiple deaths, local media reported on Wednesday.
AFP could not immediately confirm the death toll, which India's NDTV broadcaster reported to have left at least 11 people dead. The Times of India newspaper reported seven dead.
An AFP photographer saw an intense crush of crowds as a sea of people crammed the streets.
Broadcasters showed police carrying young children in their arms rushing away from crowds, who had seemingly fainted.
One unattended young man was sitting in an ambulance struggling to breathe.
Karnataka state's Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said he was not able to immediately confirm deaths.
"This is not a controllable crowd," he said, speaking to reporters. "The police were finding it very difficult."
"I apologise to the people of Karnataka and Bengaluru," he said. "We wanted to take a procession, but the crowd was very uncontrollable... the crowd was so much."
Cricket fans had come out to celebrate and welcome home their heroes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after they beat Punjab Kings in a roller-coaster Indian Premier League cricket final on Tuesday night.
An AFP reporter said the Bengaluru team had reached the cricket stadium in the city, where celebrations had previously been planned.
Is this the UAE’s most climate-conscious sporting event?
- DP World ILT20 franchise Desert Vipers reduced carbon footprint of cricket match to a very rare low
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers have released a sustainability match report outlining the environmental impact of their headline sustainability fixture, saying it is possibly the lowest-emission professional sporting event ever held in the UAE.
Timed to mark World Environment Day, the report details how the Vipers, a founding team in the DP World International League T20, or ILT20, say they reduced the carbon footprint of a professional cricket match to just 30.86 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, translating per fan to a low 8.6 kg of CO2 equivalent, a rarity in global sport.
“While mega-events like the Paris 2024 Olympics (emitted 1.59 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent) and Euro 2024 (generated 490,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent) understandably carry large footprints due to international travel and scale, the Vipers’ match sets a benchmark in per capita emissions. At 8.6 kg CO2 equivalent per attendee, this may be among the most climate-conscious fan experiences in professional sport,” said Ben Hardy-Jones, head of sustainability and lead author of the report.
Hosted during season 3 of ILT20, the Vipers match featured: 100 percent recycled team and fan kits, made locally; hospitality menus free from red meat, with reduced dairy; biofuel-powered pitch machinery; fan travel emissions limited to under 11 percent of total footprint; water-awareness labelling in hospitality menus; a digital reach of 15.4 million and more than 265,000 engagements, amplifying the sustainability message, with virtually zero additional carbon impact.
“As one of ILT20’s founding franchises, we wanted to show how elite sport can lead on climate action without compromising experience,” said Phil Oliver, Desert Vipers CEO and recent Middle East CEO of the Year at the SPIA Awards. “This wasn’t just about lowering emissions, it was about setting a practical example others can follow.”
Though the match was a finalist at the Gulf Sustainability Awards 2024 in the “most sustainable event” category, the data and design of the match are now serving as a template for the wider sports sector, as the Vipers call on teams, leagues and venues to join them in transforming environmental standards.
“This isn’t a one-off stunt. It’s a model we’re evolving every season,” Hardy-Jones said. “Our report is open-source because we want change across the board, from stadium design to catering decisions. Sport has that power.”
With ILT20 season 4 launching on Dec. 2, the Desert Vipers say that they are planning deeper sustainability initiatives and calling on the global cricket community to help make sport a force for environmental good.
Ethara champions sports innovation and investment with landmark pitch in Abu Dhabi
- Eight founders presented startup projects to investors at an event at Yas Conference Centre
ABU DHABI: Ethara has launched its inaugural E1H Pitch, during which eight business founders presented their startup projects to investors at an event held at the Yas Conference Centre in Abu Dhabi.
The management company, which organizes some of the region’s biggest sporting events such as the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, UFC and the NBA games.
The event brought together more than 100 key stakeholders from sport, entertainment, government, and investment sectors to witness the unveiling of the regional startups hoping to secure funding for their development.
As the UAE’s first dedicated sports ecosystem and incubator, the Ethara 1TW Innovation Hub (E1H) was established to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in the UAE and the wider region by providing startups with access to expertise, commerce and capital.
The first E1H pitch was the culmination of a six-week program in which the eight early-stage ventures received strategic guidance and venture capital support to fast-track their development.
The event opened with keynote addresses from Mike Shapiro, head of ventures at City Football Group, and Mohamed Berrada, partner at Portas. Their insights into global sports investment and the future of digital fan engagement highlighted the UAE’s growing influence as a strategic base for sports tech and entertainment ventures. The session was hosted by sports broadcaster Chris McHardy.
“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Ethara,” said Saif Rashid Al-Noaimi, CEO of Ethara. “That’s why we created E1H with our partners at OneToWatch. We want to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to build new ventures that add value not just to Ethara but to Abu Dhabi’s global vision for sport and entertainment.”
The eight presentations attracted immediate interest from investors and highlighted strong potential for UAE-based growth.
Jamie Cunningham, founder of OneToWatch, added: “The UAE is no longer just hosting world-class events it’s now building the companies that will power them. E1H is unlocking entrepreneurial potential and connecting it directly to capital and opportunity. We’re proud to partner with Ethara and Abu Dhabi to help shape the next generation of global sports and entertainment ventures.”
E1H Cohort 1 startups
ArabsMMA – Zahi Ephrem
A marketer and martial artist, Zahi founded ArabsMMA, the first media platform dedicated to combat sports in the Middle East.
Athlyn – Ahmed Cheikh Omar
With 15-plus years’ experience in the UAE sports and corporate sectors, Omar’s platform bridges sport and corporate engagement.
Esportian – Ivan Kerkoc
A Spanish university professor and former NCAA recruiter, Kerkoc founded Esportian to merge traditional sports and esports education.
Icosium Technologies – Billel Boudouma and Mohamed Ali
This venture blends robotics, artificial intelligence, and human experience to deliver real-world micro-automation solutions.
MyParkBuddy – Daniel Hachem
Daniel aims to revolutionize urban mobility through smart parking solutions, drawing on his engineering and entrepreneurship expertise.
Neoma – Francois Chabaudie
With a background in private equity and consulting, Chabaudie created Neoma to improve human interactions through smart environments.
The Mettleset – Dawn Barnable
A seasoned communicator and endurance athlete, Dawn founded The Mettleset to tell meaningful stories through the lens of sport.
E1H Venture Studio, Greenlight Abu Dhabi Branding (GADB) – Robert Angelieri
An event operations expert, Robert drives innovation in sustainable events through branding, logistics, and venue strategy.
Five challenges Ancelotti faces as Brazil reign kicks off
- The 65-year-old Italian led his first training session on Monday in Guayaquil, Ecuador, ahead of what should be his first match, if his move from Real Madrid passes scrutiny by football’s governing body FIFA
- The top six in the 10-team group qualify directly for the World Cup. Brazil are fourth, six points clear of Venezuela in seventh with four matches to go
SAO PAOLO: After a warm welcome to Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti, the Selecao’s first foreign coach in more than 50 years, is on a mission to fix a stuttering team and win back fans which starts on Thursday against Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier.
The 65-year-old Italian led his first training session on Monday in Guayaquil, Ecuador, ahead of what should be his first match, if his move from Real Madrid passes scrutiny by football’s governing body FIFA.
AFP identifies five issues Ancelotti faces:
“The only goal is to win the 2026 World Cup,” said Ancelotti when he took the job. First he has to get there.
The South American group is a two-year, 18-match marathon. Brazil’s campaign has included a first-ever home World Cup qualifying defeat, 1-0 at the Maracana to old enemy Argentina, part of a run of three straight defeats in 2023 that ended the coaching reign of Fernando Diniz.
Their last match was a 4-1 humiliation in Argentina in March that finished off former coach Dorival Junior. Yet the format is forgiving.
The top six in the 10-team group qualify directly for the World Cup. Brazil are fourth, six points clear of Venezuela in seventh with four matches to go.
Ecuador may be second in the group, but are only two points ahead of Brazil, who then host Paraguay, who are fifth.
Qualifying ends in September with a visit to last-place Chile and a home game against struggling Bolivia.
Brazil is still churning out dazzling attackers but the production line has stalled on No. 9s. In this century, Romario, Ronaldo and Adriano have all led the attack and banged in the goals.
The nearest player to a classic No. 9 in Ancelotti’s first squad is a player he coached at Everton, Richarlison, now of Tottenham.
Yet Ancelotti has won without a central striker before. His 2024 Champions League winning side was led by two Brazilians: Vinicius Jr, who is in Ancelotti’s squad, and Rodrygo, who he did not select. Ancelotti also has Raphinha of Barcelona, who was joint top scorer in this season’s Champions League.
A bigger problem might be supplying the attackers, veteran Brazilian football journalist Juca Kfouri told AFP.
With Brazil’s youth academies focusing on defensive midfielders and quick wingers rather than classic creators, the Selecao faces a shortage of ideas in midfield.
In Brazil’s last two outings Dorival Junior tried Bruno Guimaraes, Gerson, Andre and Joelinton in the role. None convinced.
At Madrid, Ancelotti “had Toni Kroos as a supply line for Vini. Brazil does not have a Toni Kroos,” said sports writer Tim Vickery on his ‘Brazilian Shirt Name’ podcast.
Ancelotti has recalled Kroos’s former Real Madrid midfield partner Casemiro, although the 33-year-old now with Manchester United is primarily a defensive player to add, the coach said, “charisma, personality and talent.”
The supply of swashbuckling fullbacks, such as Carlos Alberto, Cafu and Roberto Carlos — another hallmark of great Brazil teams — has also dried up.
Ancelotti has recalled Carlos Augusto, part of the Inter Milan team crushed in the Champions League final, and picked Flamengo duo Wesley Franca and Alex Sandro after seeing them play last week in a 1-0 victory over Venezuelan team Deportivo Tachira in the Copa Libertadores.
Ancelotti needs to rebuild the bond between the team and the public. Part of the problem is that after Brazil won five World Cups playing — mostly — the “jogo bonito” (the beautiful game), fans have little patience with mediocrity.
But many supporters have been turned off by the way the famous yellow jersey has been hijacked as a symbol by supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.
“This issue of the extreme right appropriating the jersey has distanced part of the country,” said Kfouri, adding Ancelotti called on the fans when he took the job saying, “I hope to have the support and help of the country.”
