KATHMANDU: Recent debuts by Saudi athletes at international competitions in Nepal have left a mark on the Himalayan state, with impressive performances introducing the Kingdom’s new sporting image to the country.
The first occasion was in April, with the Saudi men’s national cricket team taking part in the Asian Cricket Council Premier Cup 2023.
They booked their flight to Kathmandu after sweeping away opponents in the ACC Men’s Challenger Cup in Thailand in February and soon raised eyebrows when they outplayed their Gulf neighbor, Qatar, during the tournament in Nepal.
While their much-awaited game with the hosts was abandoned due to rain, they made an impression on Nepali cricket fans and stakeholders with their performance and behind-the-scenes efforts that have not gone unseen.
The efforts go beyond the team and the work of head coach Kabir Khan.
Dipendra Chaudhary, former Nepali national team cricketer and the chief selector of the Cricket Association of Nepal, feels Saudi Arabia’s rise in cricket should also be credited to its unwavering support back home.
“We saw their performance in the recently held ACC Premier Cup and that impressed me. But more important is the support they are getting from the government,” he told Arab News.
“We hear they are approaching bigger teams for various tournaments, and to add on, Kabir Khan has been supported very well in the development phase. He is working aggressively in that part and has plans in place for a long run.”
Saudi Arabia are taking part in the 2023 ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier A in September. They will face Kuwait, Maldives, and hosts Qatar for a spot in the 2023 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier.
Nepal is scheduled to host the final qualifier tournament in November, where the finalists of the tournament will book a place in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Chaudhary feels that T20 could be a format that the still new and growing Saudi team could pounce upon.
“T20 is game of momentum where they can flourish. It is a format where no team can be taken easily,” he said.
“We saw the quality of individual batters they have in the top order; they have the potential to do well.”
More Saudi sporting potential became visible just two months later, when the Kingdom’s national yoga team comprising men and women won five medals — including Samaher Al-Malki’s gold — at their first international competition, the Mt. Everest International Yoga Championship in Kathmandu on June 8-10.
Badr Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed Shilati and Sarah Al-Amoudi won a silver medal each, with Joud Abed bagging a bronze as Saudi Arabia stood second in the medal table, ahead of hosts Nepal.
President of the Nepal Yoga Sports Association, Prof. Surya Bahadur Karki, was full of praise for the Kingdom’s participating contingent.
He appreciated Saudi Yoga Committee’s president Nouf Al-Marwaai’s dedication toward the sport as the team had arrived a week before the tournament began.
“Saudi Arabia performed really well in the tournament. I felt very happy looking at the preparation they had, and it paid off as they won the medal. Not just for Saudi Arabia, but their participation and success has sent a global message about our sports,” Karki said.
Having organized three South Asian championships and two editions of the Mt. Everest competition, Karki hopes participants from other parts of the world will follow in the footsteps of the Saudi team, which was the sole representative of the Middle East at June’s contest.
“We feel it is a common language for all countries and religions. We hope many more teams will participate in further competitions,” he said.
“We can take the Saudi Arabia team as an example. They proved yoga is an inclusive sport.”
