High-level peace through sports talks to take place in Riyadh in Oct
Peace and Sport, in partnership with the Saudi Olympic and the Paralympic Committee (SOPC), will organise the Peace and Sport Middle-East Forum come 18 and 19 October 2023 at the Cultural Palace in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter.
Themed "Sport is an Answer for Peace," the Peace and Sport Middle-East Forum will assemble an array of experts and decision-makers spanning diverse domains.
Their collective aim is to exemplify and formulate policies that leverage sport as a conduit for disseminating positive values, attitudes, and behaviors conducive to peace building.
The event's agenda encompasses many sessions covering impacts of grassroots initiatives, major sports events, women's sports empowerment, and an anticipated talk between Didier Drogba, Vice President of Peace and Sport, and a prominent football legend who is now part of the thriving Saudi Arabian league.
An essential session will center on "Vision 2030: Sport in Saudi Arabia," spotlighting the nation's dedication to sports as a national priority and its aligning with Vision 2030 and the 2018-launched Quality of Life Program.
Saudi leaders will present significant initiatives and initial outcomes.
"We warmly embrace the Peace and Sport organisation. Our ambitions extend to the global and local advancement of peace through sports," said Prince Abdulaziz Turki Al-Faisal, the Minister of Sport, President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
"This forum underscores our resolve to propel sports and its associated values through educational, developmental, and social training avenues. Sports and this forum serve as the ideal conduit to amplify core human principles such as peace, values we mutually share with our partners at Peace and Sport."
Quote Joël Bouzou, the Peace and Sport president and founder, said bringing the organisation to Saudi Arabia fills him and his team with pride.
"It marks a testament to our organisation's 15 years of dedicated work. It represents a pivotal milestone, resonating not only with us, but also in light of the ever-growing need for promoting peace through sports," Bouzou said.
"Peace and sport create platforms where voices can resound within a neutral backdrop, addressing matters of great import via distinguished speakers. This new forum encapsulates all that and more."
For updates, visit https://middle-east-forum.peace-sport.org/