Saudi Arabia to host World Combat Games

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been awarded the 2023 edition of the World Combat Games (WCG). The WCG is an international multi-sport event featuring 15 combat sports and martial arts which are members of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). The WCG aims to establish bridges between elite sport and local communities through initiatives encouraging youth participation in combat sports and martial arts. His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Al-Saud, Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SAOC) President, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is looking forward to welcoming athletes from all parts of the world to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is very much aligned with the Olympic Values and this event is within the country’s vision for 2030 to promote a vibrant society with a diverse and thriving economy. “Saudi Arabi has the infrastructure and will use this event to strengthen the martial arts community in Saudi Arabia and use this multi-sport games as one of the first major events toward the Asian Games 2034.” GAISF and SportAccord President Raffaele Chiulli added: “The World Combat Games is much more than a sporting event powered by GAISF, it is part of an MoU between GAISF and the IOC. The WCG represents sports as much from the Non-Olympic, as from the Olympic family. The next steps will be to finalise the sport programme with the International Sports Federations and obtaining the final approval from the IOC.”