How Saudi Cup 2021 will race to latest highs despite Covid restrictions
16 January, 2021
The second edition of the Saudi Cup may only be weeks away but you will have a marked contrast at the 2021 event the following month to Saudi Arabia’s debut to the international racing scene this past year.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic forcing several global events to be cancelled or postponed, the kingdom’s two-day racing event will just do it at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on February 19-20, with a number of the world’s top rated racehorses and jockeys in attendance.
However, Covid-19 constraints mean you will have no spectators as of this year’s celebration, with attendance limited by the media and organizations linked to the horses competing.
“The media and TV coverage is really important this year as a result of the reduced attendance,” said Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of both the Equestrian Huge Commission and the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA).
“Just the horses and the horse connections, and perhaps a limited amount of friends with the owners, will be allowed to attend while maintaining the Ministry of Health's strict requirements when it comes to masks and social distancing.”
Despite the issues, the allure of the world’s richest horse race hasn't gone unnoticed on the environment stage, with the function attracting greater than a 600 % surge in sponsorship this season compared to last.
Prince Bandar said he can only just compare the “huge hop” in fascination to the inaugural event last year, “so without coronavirus, who’s to state whether it may well have been even larger”.
“This past year we weren't sure what things to expect. Hardly any sponsors came in but there's definitely a substantially bigger interest domestically within the kingdom, for sponsorship, and we're very worked up about that prospect," he stated.
“Most sponsors is there for the TV and media instead of attendees at the event itself - that’s where in fact the value will come in."
Sponsorship from household telecom companies, together with international players, including the Swiss watch manufacturer Longines, is specifically the positive business measure the JCSA needs when it studies back again to the government on how the event contributes to the country’s economic expansion and the creation of new careers.
Like other major sports, such as the Dakar Rally and the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah in November, the Saudi Cup should never only promote the united states at a global level but also become a marker of its transformational journey.
Saudi Arabia has undergone an extreme economic diversification drive in recent years, within its Vision 2030 objective, as it looks to diversify away from a reliance on essential oil by attracting investment into its tourism, technology, sport and entertainment sectors.
Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector economy expanded for a third right month on November to 54.7, in line with the seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers' Index, the kingdom's highest reading in 10 weeks, with the kingdom pledging to keep spending on major assignments and programmes.
“One of the major indicators we are required to report to the government annually is how are actually we creating a business,” Prince Bandar said.
“The JCSA is transforming this from a purely sport-oriented activity to an industry and the government is quite keen on how various jobs we're creating for Saudis and how many Saudis" are entering the sector.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com
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