JEDDAH — All arrangements are in place for the annual Jeddah Basketball Tournament 2013 to be hosted at the Sheraton Hotel basketball court here on Thursday and Friday (Feb. 21 and 22). The announcement was made by Ali Reza Food Services Ltd, exclusive McDonald's franchisee for the Western Region in the Kingdom, and Tokyo Games here Saturday. “Being a part of the Saudi community, we are always keen on organizing activities for all segments of our society. Through this initiative we aim to bring to the fore the Saudi youth basketball talent,” said Mohammed Alireza, Marketing Manager of Reza Food Services — McDonald's Development Licensee for the Western and Southern regions. “This year, we have 24 teams competing in the two-day tournament which will again be umpired by official basketball referees.” Mohammed Alireza also noted the role McDonald's played in communicating the importance of a healthy lifestyle through sports initiatives, such as the basketball tournament, and sponsorships where McDonald's is the official partner of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. He said: “This year's tournament will see a unique ‘spin' where McDonald's Western Region and Tokyo Games will each donate 10 Saudi Riyals for every point scored, during the tournament, to a certain charity that we will jointly announce at the end of the final game. We are hoping that this will encourage players to score more points to contribute more to the charity.” Commenting on his partnership, Mishaal Alireza, Vice President of Marketing Alireza Holdings and exclusive owner of Tokyo Games, said: “Last year's tournament saw a large turnout of basketball enthusiast, both players and spectators, and this is what prompted us to ensure that it happens annually. We will continue to support one of the important segments in our society, the Saudi youth. “This year's tournament will see a first place prize of SR10,000, besides prizes for first and second runners-up. The audience will also have a chance to participate in different side-activities running throughout the tournament and win prizes,” he added. Throughout the two-day event, MIX FM Radio will keep announcing live updates of scores and rankings. Fans can join the official Facebook page, Jeddah Basketball Championship for updates and coverage of the tournament. — SG
