GaStat findings show 48.2 percent of people in Kingdom do sport on weekly basis MoS, SFA, and Quality of Life collaborated to launch 74 inclusive, sustainable programs RIYADH: A new survey by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics has revealed that 48.2 percent of people across the country now practice physical and sporting activities for at least 30 minutes a week. This demonstrates a key milestone in creating a healthy and vibrant society in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 Quality of Life Objectives. The findings come thanks to the combined efforts of the Ministry of Sports, Saudi Sports for All Federation, Quality of Life, and the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee. Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Saud, Saudi minister of sports, said: “The remarkable rise in the rate of exercise in our society is … one of the many strategies that we are constantly working on, which has been achieved today. We are grateful for the interest and support from our generous leadership, which we continue to see in the sports sector, and who have been behind all the programs and initiatives under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. “In cooperation with our partners, we have contributed significantly to changing the awareness and culture of our society, which has been paying greater attention to sports in recent years. It became a way of life for everyone, for a better future." Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Quality of Life objectives include increasing the number of people participating in sports and physical activity across the Kingdom. Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al-Saud, president of the SFA, said: “Enhancing our sporting provisions on a local and national level will be essential to realizing our potential. At SFA, we take pride in contributing to the Kingdom’s progress and are determined to help people across the country participate in more sporting and physical activities. “That we have come so far and achieved so much already speaks volumes, saying a great deal about how much more we can accomplish and (how much) further we can go on this journey of change,” he added. “We look forward to supporting even more people to get active and lead happy, healthy lives.” To date, the MoS, QOL, SFA and SOAC have worked jointly to launch 74 inclusive and sustainable programs and partnered with a wide selection of entities, such as the World Health Organization, the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence, the Association For International Sport for All, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. The MoS and SFA have also worked together to achieve milestones in the QOL program initiatives, which aim to improve individual and families’ quality of life by creating the necessary environment to develop and support new lifestyle options. The QOL initiatives include “Active Places” and “Active People,” which aim to increase the number of people participating in sports and physical activity. Through the “Active Places” initiatives, the SFA and the MoS provide access to educational facilities and programs to create an enabling environment to help communities improve their well-being. Some of the “Active Places” initiatives include neighborhood clubs, summer camps, physical activity tests, and an online teacher toolkit. The SFA utilizes technology to encourage people to get fit by using the SFA app: A platform for people of all levels that enables users to participate in community, group, and individual sports, as well as monitor and manage their personal health. Over 20 entities, ranging from giga-projects to startups, have enrolled on the app, and it has tracked more than 20 billion steps to date. GaStat findings show that 54.8 percent of males practice sports weekly, with 38.3 percent of females participating in various forms of exercise every week. The most active administrative regions in the Kingdom are Eastern Region, Riyadh and Asir.