The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) succeeded in organizing the second edition of the Riyadh Marathon 2022, which was held today in Riyadh, attracting more than 10,000 local, regional and international participants. This international sporting event is the first professional and international marathon to be held in the Kingdom, which was accredited by the Asian and International Athletics Federations, and is one of the most prominent sporting events of its kind organized by the Saudi Sports for All Federation, which represents a milestone in the federation's journey towards enhancing the advantages of physical exercise for all members of society in the Kingdom. The 42-kilometer race attracted thousands of local and international sports and running fans, in addition to the wide participation of the audience in following the historic event and enjoying the festive atmosphere. The marathon started from King Saud University at 06:15 am, passing through the historic Diriyah, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Road, the main roads, the King Abdullah Financial Center, and the Digital City, and ending at the finish line at King Saud University. The track was designed to allow participants to explore the most prominent tourist attractions in Riyadh. The marathon was organized under the direct support of the Ministry of Sports, to achieve the goals of the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and with the presence of partners from the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, the Saudi Athletics Federation, King Saud University, and the National Events Center. The first runners crossed the finish line amid applause from the other participants and the audience, in which the first-place winners in the various races were awarded prizes worth more than SR2 million in addition to medals to celebrate their sporting achievement and participation in this exceptional event. The percentage of Saudi participants in this race reached nearly 57%, with the rest of the participants coming from different countries from all over the world, including the Philippines - India - the United Kingdom - Pakistan - the United States - Egypt - Jordan among others. Several male and female professionals from different countries such as Kenya - Uganda - South Africa - Ethiopia participated in the 42km marathon and the 21.1km half marathon. Ethiopian Tadese Tsegaye Getachew won first place in the men's professional category, while Ethiopian Nare Tadu Teshome won first place in the women's professional category. In the general marathon race, Saudi Ali Al-Shahrani won third place, while the Kenyan Michael Kimtai and the Kenyan Bernard Chiruiyot won first place in the 42km marathon. Meanwhile, the first place in the 21.1 km half-marathon went to Moroccan Anouar El Ghouz, second place to Saudi (Yousef Al-Asiri), while the Bahraini (Salman Al-Aadar) won third place in the men's category. The first place in the women's category went to (Hanoi Hasaballa), the second place (Merieme Ouadid), and the third place was won by Ethiopian Asinaku Ejeta. As part of SFA's efforts to encourage and enhance community participation in physical activities, the Riyadh Marathon 2022 is designed to be an integrated event that provides a set of races designed for all ages and physical abilities of both genders. The 21.1-km half-marathon witnessed the wide participation of athletes and amateurs, as well as beginners and fans in the 10 and 4-kilometer races from all members of the community. SFA has also organized the Marathon Village on Friday and Saturday (4-5 March), where the participants and attendees enjoyed a unique experience and a variety of sideline activities such as restaurants and cafes, sports activities, and other recreational activities that suit all society members. On this occasion, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement: "In the sports sector, we receive great attention and support from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH, the Crown Prince, which reflected positively on the sport, and contributed to the increase of its practitioners, in addition to hosting major world championships and achieving unprecedented achievements, as well as the constant pursuit of achieving the goals of the Kingdom's vision 2030 and contributing to increasing the local outcomes". The minister added: "Today we have witnessed the organization of the Riyadh Marathon in its second edition, in which more than 10,000 participants from all segments of society from inside and outside the Kingdom participated. This event adds up to the long series of various sports activities which the Kingdom has been more than happy to host, through which we aspire to spread the sports culture and increase the number of practitioners in our country". This year's Riyadh Marathon comes in the wake of the success of the Riyadh Half Marathon, which was held in Riyadh in 2018, where more than 11,000 participants of different nationalities, ages, and physical abilities attended. The launch of the first professional and international marathon in Riyadh reinforces the Kingdom's position as a global sports destination, which contributes to the development of the sports and tourism economy in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Meanwhile, Prince Khalid bin Al-Waleed bin Talal, President of the Saudi Sports for All Federation, launched the kickstart of the marathon races, who was also at the fore by participating in joining the participants in the 4 km race. The prince stated: "We are pleased with the resounding success of this year's Marathon, which reflects the community's enthusiasm about sporting activities. Today's event represents an important step in our endeavor to build a healthy and athletic community, by inspiring community members to adopt exercise as an integral part of their daily lives." His Highness expressed his appreciation and gratitude to all participants in this historic event, looking forward to making a global imprint on the success of Riyadh and the Kingdom in holding this type of international race and to activating many initiatives and sports events to encourage everyone of all ages and physical abilities of both genders to practice physical exercises regularly. SFA represents the main body responsible for the development of community sports in the Kingdom. The federation also seeks to build a healthy community, by inspiring all members of society to be physically active, in line with the objectives of the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, mainly to increase the rate of physical activity to 40% of the Kingdom's population by 2030. The Riyadh Marathon 2022 was sponsored by "SABIC", the official partner, one of the world's largest leading companies in the petrochemical industries, in addition to Roshn Real Estate Company, an affiliate of the Public Investment Fund, as the main partner, and Huawei as an official time partner. Other sponsors include Genie, PureGym, Tawuniya Vitality, Decathlon, Avalon Active, Aquafina, Audi, and MDLBEAST.
