Which sports events has Saudi Arabia hosted and which ones will it host?

 The coastal city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia is witnessing a special kind of excitement these days as a huge boxing match is going to be held here in the next few days.

According to Arab News, on Saturday, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Osyk will compete with his British opponent, Anthony Joshua.

Such excitement before any important event is not new in Saudi Arabia, while sporting events hosted by the kingdom also add to the excitement. Such competitions are being organized under Vision 2030.

Osaik shocked the boxing world last September when he outpointed Joshua, with their next bout in Ukraine being postponed due to the war.After that, the competition titled 'Rage on the Red Sea' moved to Jeddah.

One of the objectives of Vision 2030, launched in 2016, is to make the Kingdom a regional hub for sports activities.

Today, sports activities are taking place in full swing in Saudi Arabia. In just a few years, Saudi Arabia has come a long way in this field and has hosted world-class sports events, which has boosted tourism, improved the hotel industry and created employment opportunities.

Tourism is a sector that is receiving a lot of attention and for this the Saudi e-Visa was launched in 2018.

The kingdom hopes to host 100 million tourists by 2030 as Saudi Arabia has numerous attractive tourist destinations.

Hosting of sports events has created new opportunities for partnership, investment and sponsorship.

The Kingdom also excels in sports and recreational infrastructure with tracks ranging from smooth e-tracks to the Dakar Rally and other venues including the Royal Greens Golf Club and Country Club.

One such important opportunity for Saudi Arabia is hosting the Asian Games which will be held in 2034.

In 2018, many important events were held in the kingdom and it was in the same year that Great Britain's Callum Smith defeated compatriot George Groves in Jeddah to win the Super Middle East boxing title.

After that, Saudi Arabia organized the Supercopa Italiana, Supercopa de España, golf and the $20 million horse race, which was the most expensive horse race in the world.

Although activities related to Saudi Arabia's sporting events were affected in 2020 due to Corona, sports-related events are back in place after several months of closure.

In 2021, the Kingdom laid the groundwork for a special venue for international competitions, which was built in Jeddah in just eight years.

Saudi Arabia is currently eyeing the AFC Women's Asian Cup which will be held in 2026, while preparations are also underway for the 2029 major event in the city of Nyom.