Q&A Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki

Saudi Arabia’s current investment in sport is of a scale never witnessed. What is the driving force behind the investment and what can fans expect in the future when it comes to following and watching their favourite sports?

The driving force is our people and our desire to grow as a country. We believe in the power of sport to transform lives, we see it as a force for good. We can see how it improves the quality of life of our people, how it brings so many benefits for health and communities but also values that we wish to instil across our society. Especially when we are a young country, with over 20 million aged under 30.

Saudi people are so passionate about sport and now they simply want to play more, to connect to the world more and to share their country through sport. It wasn’t always like this, but under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation, the country has become a welcoming host for some of the biggest global sports events. Since 2018 the Kingdom has staged over 85 international events for both male and female athletes including football, motorsport, tennis, equestrian, esports and golf, attended by over 2.6 million fans.

But underpinning all of these events and the starting point for all our sporting growth has been the desire to get people active and participating in sport. That’s really what the Ministry of Sport exists for. So, the fact that sports participation across men and women in Saudi Arabia has rapidly increased and is now close to 50%, more than tripling since 2015, is what pleases me most. The number of sporting federations has also tripled during this time, which is vital to our sporting future. As a result, we’ve become one of the fastest and most exciting growth stories in world sport, and a welcoming home to all sports. But the answer to why invest and why sport, is always to serve our people.

What are the criteria you look for when looking to invest in a sport and bring it to Saudi Arabia?

It’s connected to the answer above. We don’t want to be mere spectators or hosts, with sport purely entertainment without playing and competing. We want to drive participation and help build pathways from amateur to elite. So community engagement is key. When we host events, especially for the first time, we look to make them as inspiring as possible. That’s why we typically bring sport, music and culture all together, as we want it to be as appealing as possible to the entire community. We want families to come so that our young people can take their first steps into a sport and witness the skill and passion of the world’s best, helping them connect with new role models. This has been true within motorsport. The inaugural Formula E race in 2018 set the standard and gave us so many ‘firsts’ that we’ve continued with. Not just by hosting music concerts and delivering quality fan experiences but the introduction of tourist E-visas to come watch sport.

Football, golf, cricket, motorsport all have a presence. What other sports would Saudi Arabia like to attract?

We continue to open up as a country and open up new sports within our country. What happens in the future will be determined not only by leadership planning under Vision 2030 but by the wants, wishes and hopes of our people. We’ve some brilliant examples of that change and response by the Ministry and our federations to support new ambitions and create new growth. Two years ago, we didn’t have a schoolgirls’ football league. Last year, in year one, 48,000 schoolgirls took part in the first league. This year, we have over 70,000. As a result, we will be rolling out under 15 national and under 20 national female football teams, as we know the passion and interest exists.

We’ve witnessed the same in esports. We’ve introduced and supported new sports and new formats, nurtured young talent and typically the reaction has been incredibly positive. For two years we’ve hosted the world’s biggest esports festival, Gamers8. And now the country is home to 23.5 million gamers – 67 percent of the population with around 21.1 million people playing esports on a semi-pro or amateur basis. Such is the momentum and growth, last year, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, launched a dedicated National Gaming and Esports Strategy. And recently, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, announced the Esports World Cup, which will be held annually in Riyadh from the summer of 2024. This is game-changing and will deliver something truly special and never been done before.

No matter the sport or the opportunity, or ability to invest, support and grow in sport, comes directly thanks to the endless support and energy of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. The speed, scale and vast array of options provided to our young people now are thanks to his vision.

Is there a big car culture in Saudi Arabia? If so, does this help when it comes to building a fan base for motorsport series?

Yes absolutely. You see that existing passion and it’s passed on from generation to generation. We are a big country with lots of incredible places to explore on-road or off-road, which is exactly why an event like the Dakar Rally made complete sense, as it connects with who we are. We also looked at the numbers already watching and following motorsport, which also helped when it came to bringing Formula 1 to the Kingdom.

Securing the Grand Prix in 2021 was a big deal for the sport. How much of a challenge was it to negotiate?

It was a good discussion and deal because F1 knew of the passion and interest of the people and that potential. They understood the youthful nature of our population and it was a great opportunity to grow the sport and reach new fans in new ways. We want to fulfil passions and interests, to connect with the world through sport and welcome fans to share in our country. Both parties saw the win, plus it helped that the FIA had positive experiences having hosted Formula E since 2018.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has proved itself. What were the biggest challenges in creating it?

The biggest challenge in constructing the Jeddah Corniche Circuit was the time between breaking ground and the inaugural race. The ground breaking effectively took place in April of 2021 and the F1 race on December 3-5th that year. The demands of construction were further enhanced by the nature of the land, a narrow strip with the Red Sea to the west. The track was completed the week of the race and was hailed by the F1 drivers and teams as being one of the best surfaces they have raced on. At the recent Las Vegas Grand Prix many of the drivers referred to the Jeddah track as the “Gold Standard” of racing surfaces. We will keep listening to feedback and learning but it feels very well established and what we wanted; a fast, flowing circuit that is memorable for all. Already we feel it’s a bit of a jewel in the crown of circuits. It feels iconic, and when you considering that so far in the opening years, 50% of those are watching a race live for the first time, proves we’ve reached new fans and generated new interest, as we planned.

How do you hope to increase participation by ordinary Saudis in all forms of sport, now that you’ve attracted such big-name series?

Thankfully we don’t have to hope. The facts are there and clear for all to see. Everywhere you look there is growth. Across all sports and all levels. More are starting sport. We know there is no quick way to progress. But a lot of hard work is being done and steps being taken with many success stories. Since the introduction of Vision 2030, we’ve opened over 2000 academies, licensed and opened over 500 women’s sports clubs. New school leagues have created competition for 135,000 students and 15,000 teams. Whether motorsport, football, tennis, golf, esports or even rock-climbing and yoga, there is growth.

Undoubtedly, F1 and other sporting events in Saudi such as Dakar, Formula E, and Extreme E have created a surge in interest from the public, as has Netflix’s Drive to Survive. This upsurge within the community along with the considerable interest from Saudi businesses to use the sport as a platform for promotion has allowed the creation of the Saudi Motorsport Company. This, along with its parent company and motorsport governing body the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), is charged with the development and commercialisation of the sport in the Kingdom. As such, the company is actively pursuing the growth of the sport through the construction of grass-roots facilities such as kart and bike tracks and academies for racing, rally and off-road. We are already seeing an enthusiastic participation at youth level with, for example, karting for 6- to 12-year olds. In addition, it is at the heart of creating opportunity for young people in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives with the development of career paths in the different facets of the motorsport and automotive industries.

What aspirations do you have for external investment? Do you want to attract world-class motorsport teams to base themselves in the country?

Absolutely, there is a clear objective to encourage motorsport and automotive industries to consider Saudi Arabia as a logical base and hub for developing business. Electric automotive firms Lucid and Ceer are both established and now Saudi Motorsport, working in conjunction with entities such as Invest Saudi, is encouraging racing, rally and Dakar teams to establish a base here. The announcement of the giga-project at Qiddiya, the new home of F1 in the Kingdom, is a perfect platform to establish industry bases for a wide range of businesses. As the Kingdom attracts more series such as the World Rally Championship and MotoGP there will be an increasing focus on Saudi as the ‘home’ for many associated industries. One objective of Saudi Motorsport is to help the creation of Saudi-owned events and motorsport categories that can foster young Saudi engineers, technicians, media and such. These series can then be the new breed of events that Saudi can look to export, creating opportunity for sports growth in and outside the Kingdom. We are creating the environment for such investments, removing administrative red-tape and shortening the process of setting up business. Already steps have been taken in football to privatise a number of clubs to unlock the potential of state-owned assets. This will happen across more sporting opportunities.

What initiatives will Saudi put in place to create opportunity and employment for young people of less advantaged backgrounds in the nation’s emerging motorsport sector?

The aim to create career paths for young Saudis is at the forefront of everything. As part of Vision 2030 Saudi Motorsport is working with other national entities to provide opportunities for young people. Recent partnerships with colleges and universities are part of this, as are internships where young Saudis have the chance to work with leading motorsport companies in Europe and America. This is all part of a strategy developed at Saudi Motorsport where a Saudization programme is in place within its workforce of 180 people – 87% of the workforce are young Saudis (42% women) who are contributing daily to the success of the company and the role it is playing in the development of the sport and the promotion of the Kingdom and its business opportunities.