JEDDAH: More than 1,500 experts are expected to attend the first forum of sport investment in Park Hyatt hotel in Jeddah on Sunday. The control committee in Al-Wahdah club supervises the forum, said Saleh Kamil, chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).
Kamil said sport investment is an important industry that closely resembles industrial investment. He added that the sector invested more than US $10 billion (SR 37.5 billion). More than 5,000 job opportunities could be created in tourism and entertainment when regulations for investment in sports would be adjusted.
Co-organizer Rafat Qarob said the two-day forum encompasses workshops that highlight many aspects of sport investment. Academics and specialists will participate in these sessions.
He said professional players are invited to the forum. One of them is Argentinian footballer Hernán Crespo.
Football clubs are looking forward to this forum, as they need for new innovative ways to increase their income, said Qarob. He said that the Kingdom is top of the list among Arab States for the amount of money invested in sports.
“Saudi Arabia succeeded in creating a positive reputation and is now heading toward privatization,” said Qarob. Qarob hoped the forum would come up with administrative and sportive recommendations to develop the working environment in the sport field. He said that among the speakers in the forum are experts in law, administration and marketing who are working in the Saudi Olympic Committee and the General Presidency of Youth Welfare.
First sport investment forum to kick off next week
