Saudi Arabia: hosting the Olympic Games "an ultimate goal" according to Sports Minister

"We're open to discuss with the IOC about this (the Olympic Games) for the future. I think Saudi Arabia has showcased that we can host such events. Definitely, the Olympics would be an ultimate goal for us. Our main focus now is the 2034 Asian Gameswhich will take place two years after the 2032 Summer Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia," said Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports for Saudi Arabia, to Agence France Presse (AFP) on 20/08/2022.

The representative of the Saudi Kingdom spoke on the sidelines of the boxing match held in Jeddah (SAU) between Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and British Anthony Joshua on 20/08/2022 (Usyk won on points). This second international boxing match held on Saudi territory is added to the list of sports events organised in the country since 2018: Formula 1 Grand Prix (since 2021), Formula E (since 2020-21) and Extreme E (since 2022), organisation of the Dakar Rally (since 2020), hosting of the finals of the Italian and Spanish Supercups, creation of a cycling race on the UCI calendar in 2022 ("Saudi Tour"), etc.

This expansion through…