RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed sports minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal announced the launch of the Saudi Games on Wednesday, a new competition that will start on March 24. At a launch event in Riyadh, the prince said the event will be open to both men and women and added that more than 6,000 athletes from 13 of the Kingdom’s regions are expected to participate. The theme of the event will be “Heroes Amongst Us,” Prince Abdul Aziz said. The event will feature 40 games with the participation of 35 sports federations in 18 venues within Riyadh. The prince said: “It is a new, happy day that brings with it a new sporting event to be added to the myriad of events organized or hosted by the Kingdom in its history and in the last three years in particular. “All of this would not have been achieved without the unwavering care, attention and support accorded by King Salman and the crown prince to the sports sector,” he added. Prizes of SAR1 million ($266,500) for each gold medal winner will be on offer, with SAR300,000 for a silver and SAR100,000 for a bronze. "I am pleased to announce the launch of the first edition of the largest sporting event in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Prince Abdul Aziz said.