Saudi Arabia’s esports industry looking to create ‘safe spaces’ for female gamers

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Tournaments and festivals exclusively aimed at women, such as Girl Gamer, are designed to empower and create more opportunities for female gamers. (AN photos)
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Updated 14 September 2022
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Saudi Arabia’s esports industry looking to create ‘safe spaces’ for female gamers

  • Industry leaders and creators at The Next World Forum in Riyadh called on more protection, tournaments and promotion for women in online gaming and esports

RIYADH: The gaming and esports industry is considered one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors globally, and especially in the Middle East.

With this increased popularity and participation and new initiatives designed to develop and enhance the industry, there is a growing awareness of the need to address some of the underlying historical issues with the sector, including inclusivity, sexism and sexual harassment.

During the inaugural Next World Forum in Riyadh last week, industry leaders and creators emphasized in particular the importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces for women.

Haya Al-Qadi, marketing manager with esports and gaming organization Galaxy Racer, told how her journey in competitive gaming began about 15 years ago playing Call of Duty with an otherwise all-male group of gamers. A lot has changed since then, she explained.

“Today it’s different because people don’t realize that there are more female mobile gamers than men and there’s a 50-50 split between console and PC gamers,” she said during a panel discussion.

“There’s no excuse that there aren’t enough tournaments for women, especially when it’s a mental game.”

Female gamers have often been forced to hide or “anonymize” their identity and conceal their gender because of the threat of online abuse and other dangers they might face in a male-dominated online-gaming field, she added.

“Here in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, and even in North America, it’s still quite a taboo,” Al-Qadi told Arab News. “We’ve hosted a lot of discussions on how to embrace women in gaming, provide female-only tournaments, so that we can help them grow and accelerate.”

Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez, the founding CEO of G2 Esports, said: “What I have seen over the years is that most teams and leagues and people with any power in the industry have over-nurtured women as if they were helpless, as if they didn’t have the skills on their own.

“What I do think they (women) appreciate is to be treated with dignity, as equals … it’s that simple.”

Tournaments and festivals exclusively aimed at women, such as Girl Gamer, are designed to empower and create more opportunities for female gamers, provide incentives, increase participation levels and the player base, and give them a chance potentially to profit from their skills.

“As someone who’s competed in female leagues, I think it’s a very good thing to have,” said Madiha “Maddy” Naz.

“Initially when I started competing in tournaments I’d be in mostly male-dominated scenes but when I got professionally signed, it was for female leagues only. I think what it does for females is that it provides them with competitive experience in a safe environment.”

Until a few years ago, gaming and esports were commonly regarded simply as hobbies in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. But as the industry continues to grow in the Kingdom, leaders and experts are increasingly finding ways to create sustainable job opportunities for individuals who want to build a careers out of digital sport.

As Gamers8, the world’s biggest gaming and esports festival which took place over the past eight weeks in Riyadh, showed, efforts to produce local content and opportunities are developing and growing.

“With the changes — with Vision 2030, Gamers8 and all that — I believe we’re headed to greatness,” said Ghada Al-Moqbel, CEO of GCON, a community dedicated to women with an interest in video games. “There are so many great things awaiting us as women and as gamers.”

Still, ensuring that female gamers feel safe online and are protected from harassment or abuse are important challenges for the sector. Experts define a safe space as one that feels comfortable, and which motivates and encourages women to compete with their peers in an environment that recognizes and understands their wants, needs and boundaries.

Any male-dominated field naturally comes with its own set of issues. In gaming and esports, female gamers can experience verbal, and sometimes sexual, harassment, stalking, a lack of opportunities, and gaps in skill sets.

Given that events primarily take place online, the anonymity this provides is a significant contributory factor to problems within the wider gaming community such as harassment, sexism and racism. It creates an environment where toxicity and lack of accountability are common.

“Toxicity and harassment, unfortunately, is not something alien to women when it comes to gaming,” Al-Qadi told Arab News.

“It can really discourage some women from continuing. Or they hide their identity, which is also a problem because it means they can never show their face and build a brand identity (for sponsorship purposes).”

According to Al-Moqbel, 46 percent of video gamers in the Kingdom are women. Raising awareness of the industry and creating safer and more supportive spaces in which they can develop skills and compete are seen as important aims to increase participation.

Experts say that a great way to address these issues is to build on the success of existing gaming communities and start conversations about problems that need to be addressed.

Sylvia “QueenArrow” Gathoni, a professional gamer from Kenya, told Arab News that she made peace with the fact that no matter her achievements, she will always face criticism and contempt from some quarters simply because she is a woman. She decided to take steps to address this situation.

“I found my own community where I felt welcomed and loved and I know that I can lean on them for the support that I need,” she said. “That’s been what’s been keeping me strong as one of the pioneers in this space.”

 

 


England beat West Indies by 37 runs to secure T20 series sweep

Updated 5 sec ago
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England beat West Indies by 37 runs to secure T20 series sweep

  • The match aggregate of 459 runs is the highest in a T20 international in England, as the home side added win to their sweep of the three-game One-Day International series
  • Duckett raced to his highest T20 international score but was bowled around his legs by Akeal Hosein

SOUTHAMPTON, Britain: Ben Duckett blasted a whirlwind 84 from 46 balls as England posted their second highest T20 International score of 248 for three before restricting West Indies to 211 for eight to win by 37 runs and sweep the three-game series on Tuesday.

West Indies elected to bowl but could not find consistency in line and length on a flat batting wicket and were carted around the Rose Bowl as England smashed 15 sixes in the innings on the way to their imposing score.

Opener Jamie Smith contributed 60 from 26 balls for his first T20 international half-century as England reached 135-1 at the midway point of their innings, their highest 10-over score.

West Indies were always struggling in their chase as they lost wickets at regular intervals but their total was boosted by a fine unbeaten 79 from 45 balls by Rovman Powell before they ran out of deliveries.

The match aggregate of 459 runs is the highest in a T20 international in England, as the home side added win to their sweep of the three-game One-Day International series, a perfect start for new white ball captain Harry Brook.

“Very pleased, the lads put a really good shift in and played some exceptional cricket,” Brook told Sky Sports. “I like the depth in the batting, it gives the lads at the top the license to get us off to a fast start and we saw that tonight.”

Openers Smith and Duckett put on 120 in 63 deliveries for the first wicket. No line or length was safe as the pair used invention and daring to move around the crease and find boundaries at will.

Duckett raced to his highest T20 international score but was bowled around his legs by Akeal Hosein.

Brook (35 not out from 22 balls) and Barbados-born Jacob Bethell (36 from 16 balls) added 70 in the final 31 deliveries of the innings to take England to their massive score.

The 25 dot balls that West Indies bowled are the fewest England have faced in a completed innings.

West Indies never looked like getting close to their target despite an enterprising 45 from 27 balls by captain Shai Hope, until Powell came in at number six and gave them a late boost.

England seamer Luke Wood was the pick on a difficult night for the bowlers with 3-31 in his four overs.

“We have not grasped those crucial moments in the game, whether it is with bat or ball. We have not managed to put that complete game together in this series. We have to improve everywhere,” West Indies captain Shai Hope said.


England stunned by Senegal to put Tuchel under immediate pressure

Updated 11 June 2025
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England stunned by Senegal to put Tuchel under immediate pressure

  • Boos rained down from the disgruntled home support to leave Tuchel with plenty to ponder

NOTTINGHAM: United Kingdom, June 10, 2025 : England slumped to a 3-1 home friendly defeat by Senegal on Tuesday to ramp up the scrutiny on boss Thomas Tuchel one year out from the World Cup.
Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly inflicted England’s first ever defeat against African opposition at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground after Harry Kane had given the hosts an early lead.
Tuchel was scathing in his criticism of his side’s dreary display in beating minnows Andorra just 1-0 in World Cup qualifying on Saturday.
The German, who was appointed with the task of ending England’s wait since 1966 for a major tournament win, has so far failed to spark a star-studded squad into looking like contenders for the World Cup, even if this was his first defeat in four games.
Tuchel responded by making 10 changes, with Kane the only player to retain his place.
It took just seven minutes for the England captain to maintain his record of scoring in every game since Tuchel took charge.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy should have done better when he could only parry Anthony Gordon’s shot into the path of Kane, who tapped in his 73rd international goal.
Dean Henderson was given a rare chance to impress in the England goal as Jordan Pickford was relegated to the bench.
The Crystal Palace stopper made impressive saves from his club team-mate Sarr and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
But he was helpless when Sarr made the most of a lack of concentration from Kyle Walker to meet Nicolas Jackson’s cross and fire into the bottom corner.
England had never lost to African opposition in 22 previous matches but Senegal had been beaten just once from open play since losing to the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup.
Diarra was afforded acres of room to run in behind the England defense and slot between the legs of Henderson to put the visitors in front just after the hour mark.
Mendy made amends for his role in the opening goal with fine saves to deny Bukayo Saka and Morgan Gibbs-White a swift equalizer.
England thought they had levelled late on when Jude Bellingham smashed home from a corner.
But the goal was ruled out for a handball by Levi Colwill before the ball broke to the Real Madrid midfielder.
Senegal made the most of that reprieve to seal a famous win in stoppage time when Sabaly rounded off a slick counter-attack.
Boos rained down from the disgruntled home support to leave Tuchel with plenty to ponder before England are next in action in September.


Jon Rahm: Smaller fields make top 10s easier at LIV Golf

Updated 11 June 2025
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Jon Rahm: Smaller fields make top 10s easier at LIV Golf

  • Rahm tied for eighth last week in Virginia without ever having a serious chance of winning over the final few holes

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania: Two-time major champion Jon Rahm comes into the US Open off another top 10 at LIV Golf, which is nothing new. The Spaniard has never come in lower in the 20 events he has finished since joining the Saudi-backed league at the start of last year.
Is that a big deal?
“I would happily trade a bunch of them for more wins, that’s for sure,” said Rahm, who has two LIV victories but has yet to win this year. “But I keep putting myself in good position.”
One of the criticism of LIV is the 54-man fields over 54 holes, especially with a half-dozen or more considered past their prime and several unproven young players.
Rahm delivered some context on his streak.
“Listen, I’m a realist in this case,” he said. “I’ve been playing really good golf, yes, but I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t easier to have top 10s with a smaller field. That’s just the truth, right? Had I been playing full-field events, would I have top 10 every single week? No. But I’ve been playing good enough to say that I would most likely have been inside the top 30 every single time and maybe even top 25.”
He considered that impressive, and he figures most of those would be top 10s.
Rahm tied for eighth last week in Virginia without ever having a serious chance of winning over the final few holes. He said against a full field, he doubts that would have been a top 10.
“I think winning is equally as hard, but you can take advantage of a smaller field to finish higher,” he said. “As much as I want to give it credit personally for having that many top 10s, I wouldn’t always give it as the full amount just knowing that it’s a smaller field.”
DeChambeau and LIV
Bryson DeChambeau says the contract he signed to join Saudi-funded LIV Golf is up next year and he’s already looking ahead to a new one.
“We’re looking to negotiate end of this year, and I’m very excited. They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we’ll come to some sort of resolution on that,” DeChambeau said Tuesday. “Super excited for the future.”
LIV contracts are confidential and there has been ample speculation whether the Public Investment Fund will shell out the kind of signing bonuses that helped lure players away from the PGA Tour in 2022.
Meanwhile, unification with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf appears at a standstill as PIF officials want any future to include team golf.
“I think that LIV is not going anywhere,” DeChambeau said.
He said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor behind the rival league, “has been steadfast in his belief on team golf, and whether everybody believes in it or not, I think it’s a viable option.”
DeChambeau believes LIV is going in the right direction and referenced the indoor tech-infused TGL as having teams making money.
“I believe there is a sustainable model out there,” he said. “How it all works with the game of golf, who knows? But I know my worth.”
Xander and YouTube
Xander Schauffele might spend less time on his phone than anyone, usually only scrolling through the news. A few weeks ago at the Memorial, during a rapid-fire series of random questions, he was asked who he would take with him on “The Amazing Race” reality show.
“What’s ‘The Amazing Race,’” he asked.
So when he was told about Tommy Fleetwood’s latest venture with YouTube and asked if he would considering doing something like that, Schauffele replied, “Is that like a serious question?”
But he has spent time on YouTube for a reason. Schauffele made his US Open debut in 2017, the year after the Open at Oakmont. What better way to check out the course than watching a US Open at Oakmont?
“I watched some of the ‘16 coverage on YouTube. I would have watched it on any platform that would have been provided, but I watched some of that coverage there just to see sort of how guys were hitting shots and how the ball was reacting,” Schauffele said.
Turns out that wasn’t his first experience on YouTube.
“I’ve been in dark places where I’ve looked up swing tip things on YouTube as well, trying to make sense of it, just like every golfer has. I’ll confess to it,” he said. “I’m luckily not there anymore, which is probably healthy for myself and my family.
“Yeah, there’s a lot on there, I can tell you that much.”
Rory and his driver
Rory McIlroy expressed concern about his driver after badly missing the cut in the Canadian Open, his last tournament ahead of the US Open.
He said he worked at home over the weekend and realized he was using the wrong driver. And he was coy about which one he was using, suggesting that people could always go to the range to find out for themselves.
McIlroy got plenty of attention with his driver when it was leaked at the PGA Championship that his driver did not pass inspection. It’s a common occurrence, and testing takes place randomly at every major. Scottie Scheffler also had to change drivers after his didn’t pass the test. He wound up winning by five shots.
So was that a problem for McIlroy at the PGA Championship?
“It wasn’t a big deal for Scottie,” McIlroy said. “So it shouldn’t have been a big deal for me.”
The best honorary member
Dustin Johnson had not played Oakmont since the won the US Open in 2016. That’s not to say he hasn’t been back to the fabled club. Oakmont Country Club honors its major champions by offering them honorary membership.
Johnson went back a few years later for the honor, going to a dinner and getting his green jacket .
Honorary membership has its privileges that Johnson doesn’t use.
“I’m probably their favorite member because I never come,” he said.
Oakmont need not to be offended. Johnson was asked how many clubs he had honorary membership and he didn’t bother counting.
“Quite a few,” he said. “And I don’t use very many, either.”


Australia qualify for 2026 World Cup

Updated 10 June 2025
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Australia qualify for 2026 World Cup

PARIS: Australia booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Tuesday.
The Socceroos will play in a sixth consecutive World Cup finals after finishing second in Group C in the third round of Asian qualifiers, as the Saudis head into the fourth round.


Canelo Alvarez to face Terence Crawford in Riyadh Season Las Vegas showdown

Updated 10 June 2025
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Canelo Alvarez to face Terence Crawford in Riyadh Season Las Vegas showdown

  • Fight between 2 of boxing’s biggest generational athletes will be streamed on Netflix
  • They will compete for the unified Super Middleweight championship on Sept. 13

LONDON: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will face off against Terence Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, and Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have announced.

The highly anticipated fight between two of boxing’s biggest generational athletes will be streamed on Netflix for more than 300 million subscribers on the platform.

White, Alashikh and Saudi events firm Sela will collaborate to promote the event, which is part of Riyadh Season.

The showdown will be promoted through a promotional tour with stops in Riyadh on June 20, New York City on June 22 and Las Vegas on June 27.

The venue for the fight in Las Vegas, scheduled for September, will be announced at a later date. The boxers will compete for the unified Super Middleweight championship.

Alalshikh said on Tuesday: “Canelo and Crawford, two legends of boxing, will finally compete against each other in the fight of the century.”

Dana White described the anticipated fight in Las Vegas as historic. He added: “Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing and this is right up my alley ... it’s literally a once in a lifetime fight.”

Mexican star Canelo is ready to prove he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. “I’m super happy to be making history again and this time on a Riyadh Season card that will be broadcast on Netflix,” he said.

Crawford, the undefeated American superstar, is confident that his record speaks for itself. “I am the best fighter in the world and no matter the opponent or weight class, I have always come out on top,” he said.

“On Sept. 13, my hand will be raised once again as the world watches greatness,” Crawford told fans.