RIYADH — The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced on Wednesday its approval for skier Fayik Abdi to represent the Kingdom in Alpine skiing races at the Winter Olympics. Abdi will compete in giant slalom during Saudi Arabia's maiden participation in the Winter Games, which will be hosted in Beijing from February 4 to 20. The committee, in coordination with the Saudi Winter Sports Federation, has officially chosen Abdi to participate in the Alpine skiing giant slalom after he scored a better rating in technical performance than Salman Al-Howaish. Both Al-Howaish and Abdi have qualified to compete in Alpine skiing races at the Beijing Games, but as per the Winter Games regulations only one of them will be allowed to compete. Al-Howaish qualified for the slalom and Abdi for the giant slalom, according to the international skiing federation (FIS) website. In recognition of their historic achievement, both athletes will equally share the financial reward for qualifying for the Olympics. The giant slalom has attracted competitors from countries with no medal winning record in the sport, such as Vanessa Mae who competed for Thailand at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Other nations currently on the list to compete against Alpine skiers from countries such as Austria and Norway in Beijing include India, Brazil, Ghana, Haiti and the Philippines.
