Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz

Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz was president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee from 1974 to 1999, elected to the office at the age of thirty.[1] He established the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and headed it, and founded the Kingdom's first official national football team.[1] His leadership of local, Arab and international sports organisations extended over twenty-eight years, and he was an influential member of the International Olympic Committee.[1]

Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz was elected president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee in 1974, at the age of thirty, and held the office until 1999.[1] In 1999 the presidency of the committee passed to Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, who held it until 2011.[1]

Prince Faisal bin Fahd established the Ministry of Youth and Sports under the name of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and took charge of it.[1]

He adopted a series of five-year development plans under which major sports infrastructure projects were carried out, including about 150 clubs, 13 large sports complexes and 21 youth hostels, in addition to the Sports Leaders Preparation Institute, a sports medicine hospital and dozens of public sports facilities.[1]

Over twenty-eight years of his professional career, Prince Faisal bin Fahd headed a number of sports federations and organisations inside the Kingdom and abroad, among them the Arab Sports Federation, which later became the Arab National Olympic Committees Union, the Arab Football Federation, the Saudi Olympic Committee, the Saudi Football Federation, the Saudi Sports Federation for People with Disabilities, the Saudi Equestrian Federation and the National Youth Hostels Association.[1]

He headed the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, and was a member of the International Committee for the Preservation of Islamic Heritage.[1] In 1991 the Saudi Federation for the Sport of People with Disabilities was founded under his presidency.[1]

At the international level he was nominated for membership of the International Olympic Committee and became a member of it, leading a group of 12 Arab members to strengthen and promote Olympic objectives in the Arab world, and he contributed to the establishment of the International Olympic Museum in Lausanne.[1]

Prince Faisal bin Fahd founded the Kingdom's first official national football team and was a supporter of physical activity.[1] The Saudi national football team qualified for the round of 16 in its first participation in the World Cup.[1]

He was a key figure in the establishment of the King Fahd Cup for the FIFA Confederations Cup, before its name was changed to the Confederations Cup tournament, and its first two editions were held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[1]

The Prince Faisal bin Fahd International Prize for Research on the Development of Arab Sport was announced in 1403 AH, corresponding to 1983, on his initiative, and is awarded to the best three research works for the advancement of education and sport in the Arab countries.[2] The winner in each of its categories receives a cash prize of 100,000 US dollars, together with the prize's medal.[2]

In 1441 AH, corresponding to 2019, the General Sports Authority reinstated the prize by decision of the chairman of its board of directors, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, opening the way for it to become international.[3] Before his death he headed the supreme committee of the State Appreciation Prize in Literature.[1]

Among the honours he received, the supreme organising committee of the Arab Police Swimming Championship awarded him a certificate of appreciation and a commemorative shield, in recognition of his contribution to the service of Arab sport.[4]

In 1447 AH, corresponding to 2025, the Ministry of Sport and the National Centre for Privatisation launched the expression-of-interest and prequalification stage for the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City project in Riyadh. The project is implemented under a public-private partnership model covering design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance for a period ranging between 20 and 30 years.[5]

The project aims to build a state-of-the-art stadium in the north of King Abdullah Park in Al-Malaz, next to the existing facility, with a capacity of about 47,000 spectators.[5]

Q: Who is Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz? A: President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee from 1974 to 1999, who established the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and headed it and founded the Kingdom's first official national football team.[1]

Q: When did he take over the presidency of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee? A: In 1974, at the age of thirty, and he remained in the office until 1999.[1]

Q: What were the most prominent sports infrastructure projects of his career? A: About 150 clubs, 13 large sports complexes, 21 youth hostels, the Sports Leaders Preparation Institute, a sports medicine hospital and dozens of public sports facilities.[1]

Q: Which international prize bears his name? A: The Prince Faisal bin Fahd International Prize for Research on the Development of Arab Sport, announced in 1403 AH / 1983, and relaunched in 1441 AH / 2019 so that it became international.[2][3]

Q: Who succeeded him in the presidency of the Olympic Committee? A: Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, who held it from 1999 to 2011.[1]

The name of Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz is associated with the presidency of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and the leadership of Arab and international federations, with an international prize for sports research, and with a sports city in Riyadh that bears his name.[1][2][5] Related topics on the platform include Sports Boulevard, Qiddiya and Saudi Vision 2030.