MUST-READS

• PRIORITY Summit in Miami Highlights Saudi Arabia’s Key Role in Geopolitics, Finance, Technology, and Sports

  The PRIORITY Summit, hosted by the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute in Miami, underscored Saudi Arabia's growing influence across geopolitics, finance, technology, and sports. The event attracted top leaders from politics, finance, and technology, reinforcing its status as one of the premier global investment conferences. The summit also served as a call to global investors to participate in multiple opportunities in Saudi Arabia, such as infrastructure, AI, sports, and healthcare, while highlighting opportunities that Saudi investors are keen to pursue internationally. An office to facilitate inbound and outbound investments was announced by the Saudi Minister of Investment, H.E. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to U.S, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Abdulrahman Bakir (Managing Director, MISA Americas) and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

• Saudi Arabia opens first phase of Sports Boulevard

  Saudi Arabia has opened the first phase of Sports Boulevard, marking a major milestone in Riyadh’s transformation into a global athletics and lifestyle destination.  The project, led by the Sports Boulevard Foundation, is now 40 percent complete, with 83 km of the route set to be accessible to visitors starting Feb. 27, according to the Saudi Press Agency.  Chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the board of directors of the SBF announced the launch of the phase, which includes five key destinations: Wadi Hanifah, the Promenade, a section at the intersection of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Rd. and Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al-Awwal Rd., as well as the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University internal loop, and the first phase of Sands Sports Park.

• Saudi Arabia opens 1st phase of Sports Boulevard with 5 key destinations

  The launch of the first phase marks a milestone in one of Riyadh’s major development projects, which was unveiled by King Salman bin Abdulaziz on March 19, 2019. Closely overseen by the Crown Prince, the project aims to elevate Riyadh’s global ranking, positioning it as one of the world’s most livable cities. The destinations include Wadi Hanifa Destination, the Promenade Destination, the section between the intersection of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Road and Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz I Road, the inner track of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, and the first phase of the Sand Sports Park. The completed sections of the project now span 83 kilometers, with an overall completion rate of 40%.

• Chess: Carlsen wins again as he qualifies for the $1.5m Saudi Esports World Cup

  Magnus Carlsen’s dominance of online chess has continued this week as the world No 1 is in pole position for the concluding stages of the Chessable Masters, the first leg of the annual Champions Tour which the Norwegian has won every year since it was launched in 2020. For 2025, the tour is also a qualifier for the Esports World Cup at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in July-August, where the chess prize fund will be $1.5m.

• Council pressed to act over Saudi ‘sportswashing’

  Human rights campaigners have met Newcastle's council leader to demand stronger action against alleged "sportswashing" by Saudi Arabia. The delegation, including citizens whose family members have been jailed in the Gulf state, sat down with the authority's leader Karen Kilgour. Political leaders have come under pressure over the North East's links to Saudi Arabia since the 2021 takeover of Newcastle United by a consortium led by the nation's Public Investment Fund (PIF). Kilgour said human rights abuses were "completely at odds with the values we hold dearly" in Newcastle but it was for the government to raise concerns. Newcastle United and the Saudi government did not comment.

• DAZN Sells Minority Stake to Saudi Arabia’s Surj Sports Investment in Landmark $1 Billion Deal

  The long-gestating deal — widely believed to involve PIF paying $1 billion in exchange for 10 per cent of DAZN — gives Saudi Arabia a piece of DAZN, which in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region rivals powerhouse beIN Sports, from neighboring Qatar. Qatar, incidentally, hosted the FIFA soccer World Cup in 2022, while Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 2034 edition of that event.  Founded in 2007, London-based DAZN, which has been dubbed the “Netflix of sports,” is now operating in more than 200 markets, having gone on a systematic sports rights’ buying spree that caused the streamer to report a £1.2 billion ($1.51 billion) loss for 2023. The deal with Surj Sports will certainly help shore up DAZN’s finances.

• PIF’s $1bn Dazn deal creates new Mena sports streamer

  Surj Sports Investment, a unit of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has acquired a minority stake in UK-based global sports network Dazn. The deal, believed to be worth $1 billion, will establish new broadcasting joint venture Dazn Mena, which the companies say will broadcast live and on-demand sports from Saudi Arabia. The partnership will also capitalise “on the significant growth in demand for high-quality sports broadcasting,” the companies said – a signal that Dazn Mena could rival Qatari broadcasting giant Bein Sports. Danny Townsend, CEO at Surj Sports Investment, said the investment would help Surj “achieve its mandate of driving fan engagement, encouraging sports participation and unlocking game-changing opportunities, and further showcasing the region as a destination for world-class sports.”

• Saudi Arabia to host first-ever Olympic Esports games in 2027: Video

  The first-ever Olympic Esports games will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027. The IOC hasn’t released which games will be apart of the event yet. NBC News’ Dana Griffin spoke with professional Esports player, Alvin Avila who shared his excitement for the games. 

• Esports Olympics to debut in Saudi Arabia later than expected in 2027

  The first Olympic Esports Games will be hosted in Riyadh in 2027, two years later than expected when a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia was signed last year. The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday its founding partner for the event will be the kingdom’s Esports World Cup Foundation. The first annual Esports World Cup was held last July and August in Riyadh with tens of millions of dollars in prize money paid for games including Call of Duty, Fortnite and Street Fighter. It is unclear which, if any, shooter games the IOC will allow on the Esports Olympics program, which it has repeatedly said must align with Olympic values.

• Inaugural Olympic Esports Games to be held in 2027 in Saudi Arabia
  The first Olympic Esports Games will be held in two years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday, as part of a 12-year-deal with the country signed last year. The IOC has been looking into Esports for several years, forming a dedicated commission to find opportunities to tap into a younger generation involved with gaming. With its traditional audience base gradually ageing, the governing body is trying to connect with a younger generation of potential Olympics fans. In 2021, it developed the Olympic virtual series, a pilot venture in Esports before signing the deal with Saudi Arabia last year for hosting the Olympic Esports Games.

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