The torch will travel 3,500 kilometres across the country for 22 days Torch relay marks the beginning of Saudi Arabia’s largest ever national sporting event RIYADH: Saudi Arabia launched a nation-wide march of the torch of the Saudi Games 2022, the largest sporting event in the Kingdom’s history. Athletes and major sports personalities will travel 3,500 kilometres across the Kingdom starting from Riyadh for 22 days on foot or another preferred means of transport such as a vehicle or a horse. The march, scheduled to conclude on Oct. 10 in Al-Dir’iyyah Governorate, aims to promote the values of the Saudi Games 2022 and convey peace and friendship to residents and visitors alike, according to the organizer’s statement. The torch relay starts weeks before the debut of Saudi Games, the Kingdom’s most significant national sporting event. On the sidelines of the launch ceremony in Riyadh, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, vice president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and director of the Saudi Games, said the torch embodies the values of peace and friendship that the Olympic Games seek to promote. The Saudi Games 2022, he added, marks a major leap in the Kingdom’s sporting history, one that will undoubtedly change the course of the future of sports in the nation and region. “We hope the impending journey would spread messages of hope, warmth, and unity, encouraging citizens and residents to participate in the tournament,” said Prince Fahd. Torch Relay Journey The Saudi Games 2022 torch relay is set to commence from the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee headquarters in Riyadh before moving on to Al Madinah Al Munawara, followed by Tabuk, NEOM, Al Jawf Province, Al-Shola, the Northern Borders Province, Ha’il, and the Qassim region. By Sept. 24, the relay will have reached the Eastern Province, stopping by Dhahran, Al-Khobar, and Dammam, before heading to Al-Ahsa Governorate, Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Taif, Al-Baha, and Asir region. It then travels to Jazan, followed by the Najran region, Al-Ula, and back to Riyadh. The torch relay will conclude on Oct. 10 in Al-Dir’iyyah Governorate. The torch will visit some of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent cultural and historical attractions by traveling on a route that features 57 famous landmarks in 13 regions.