Fresh off of hosting the boxing heavyweight title fight in Jeddah this weekend, Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal stated that Saudi Arabia has the “ultimate goal” of hosting the Olympics while it continues to develop a local sports industry and attract international events, according to an interview with the AFP and reported in Al Monitor.
This weekend, Saudi Arabia hosted the first sanctioned female professional boxing bout held in the Kingdom, held as the undercard to the heavyweight title clash between Ukraine’s defending world champion Oleksandr Usyk and Britain’s Anthony Joshua.
In 2034, the capital Riyadh will host the Asian Games, a large-scale multi-sports event that Prince Abdulaziz said could foreshadow a bid for the Summer Olympics.
“Our main focus now is the 2034 (Asian Games),” which will take place two years after Brisbane, Australia hosts the 2032 Summer Games, he said.
“We’re open to discuss with the IOC about this (Olympics) for the future. I think Saudi Arabia has showcased that we can host such events,” Prince Abdulaziz said.
“Definitely, the Olympics would be an ultimate goal for us… But we’re open to that and I think we can.”
