Saudi Arabia’s delegation of athletes to the Olympic Games in Tokyo this month is its largest ever, as the Kingdom continues to build its homegrown sports talent and develop young athletes.
The Kingdom has participated in 11 Olympics, with its first athlete competing in 1976 in Montreal.
According to Arab News, the number of Saudi olympians stands at a total of 33, with all but two of those male.
Saudi Olympian Sarah Attar at the Olympic Games in 2016.
Although the number of athletes this year dwarfs the previous high for the Kingdom at 6, this year’s delegation is boosted by the Saudi Arabia’s under-23 soccer team, with 22 members. Aside from that team, the Kingdom’s total olympians this year nearly doubles its previous record.
Saudi Arabia has emphasized sports for its youth and a healthier lifestyle for all Saudi citizens as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 social and economic plan.
The olympics start on July 23 and run until Aug. 8.
According to Arab News, on Monday, judoka Tahani Al-Qahtani became the latest Saudi athlete to confirm her place in Tokyo, joining Sulaiman Hamad in the judo competition; Siraj Al-Saleem and Mahmoud Al-Ahmeed in weightlifting; Husein Alireza in rowing; Tarek Hamdi in karate; Youssef Bouarish in swimming; Ali Al-Khadrawi in table tennis; Saeed Al-Mutairi in shooting; and runners Yasmine Al-Dabbagh and Mazen Al-Yassin in athletics, as well as the 22 players who will represent the Saudi Olympic football team.
