Five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will set up new sports centers of excellence across the country Agreement provides a roadmap to hosting international sports events and will spark the development of a Saudi Arabian sporting ecosystem JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SAOC) signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NEOM to collaborate on developing a competitive sporting ecosystem through new centers of excellence across the country. NEOM, an ambitious mega-city project located in the north of the Kingdom, will be the first city to rely solely on natural modes of transportation and eliminate carbon emissions of any kind. The MoU was signed by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sports Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal and Chief Executive of NEOM Nadhmi Al-Nasr. It sets out plans for the two bodies to collaborate on the development of the Saudi Arabian sporting ecosystem and to enhance its collaboration and competitiveness on the world stage. It also encourages partnership in the development of a national strategy for sport across the country. Prince Abdul Aziz said that the MoU is designed to enhance cooperation between the SAOC and NEOM as they develop sporting centers of excellence for specific sports, which NEOM will plan, design and host. It also provides a roadmap to hosting international sports events through joint working groups with representatives from the SAOC and the Saudi Ministry of Sports. Collectively, these activities will help ensure that the Kingdom’s sports activities align with Vision 2030. The MoU also provides scope for NEOM to assist the SAOC in realizing its objectives while pushing ahead with the development of sporting infrastructure, including the Concept Lab, NEOM’s sports tech and innovation hub. “This partnership is a natural extension of our existing strategy to make NEOM a future international sports destination capable of generating innovative investment opportunities and engendering a greater understanding of active lifestyles in the Kingdom,” Al-Nasr said. “This agreement further emphasizes the shared ambitions between our two organizations, which will put NEOM on the global map as a modern hub for global sports.”