Sports

Egypt victorious in largest diplomatic sporting event

January 29, 2019

RIYADH — The inaugural football tournament of the Diplomats’ Cup, an initiative taken by Salman Qureshi of the British Council, saw the Egyptian Embassy team win the final. From the 24 participating embassies, France and Egypt went head-to-head in the final match that could have gone either way until Egypt emerged victorious via the penalties.

An exemplary final and closing ceremony was held by the British Council along with the event partners, Sport Times and The First Exhibitor. The attendees included Ambassadors, Deputy Heads of Missions and various attaches from the 24 participating embassies and diplomatic missions.

It was proven by the magnitude of the event that it was indeed the largest diplomatic sporting event held in the Kingdom to date. All the attendees stated that the event was a step in the right direction and praised the efforts of Qureshi and the British Council.

Japanese Ambassador added, “Qureshi has given the diplomatic community a lot to look forward to and the event helped connect the international community together.”

John Pare, the deputy director of the British Council made a similar statement saying, “My colleague, Salman Qureshi, organized a cricket tournament before this that was a huge success. We moved onto football now and it seems like Salman is in talks for much more to come!”

The closing ceremony saw the participation of many sponsors taking this initiative as an opportunity to promote their services. All sponsors participated in the event by providing high standard services from distributing gifts and prizes to catering for the event.

The main sponsors of the event were Khatib & Alami, Saudi Commission of Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) and AlSaudi Restaurant, who displayed booths, served refreshments and the dinner buffet. They were supported in their services by Boudl, Burger King, Sadafco, Jana Catering, Melkior, AMGE, Asfar Travel Agency, Eye of Riyadh, Narcissus, Alakaria, Belmirs, Back Comfort, Kaden Investment, Ateck, Smell&Smile and Dominos Pizza in the form of gift hampers distribution to the attendees and various Saudi Culture related souvenirs that each member in attendance really appreciated.

This was in addition to the facilitation of Khaled Al Khader, who provided volunteers from the Special Needs Unit in Riyadh to act as officials and supporting staff at the final.

Ziyad Al Obaidi from Sport Times and Moustafa Reda from The First Exhibitor thanked all those in attendance prior to handing over the microphone to Eithar Diab from the British Council for presenting in the closing ceremony.

The French Embassy team formed two rows that formed a pathway for the Egyptian team to come on stage and receive their gold medals and tournament trophy from Ziyad Al Obaidi, Salman Qureshi and John Pare.

Tournament chief Salman Qureshi commented, “The main aim of these events are to promote cultural relations, connect with others and create a shared purpose with respect and accommodation. The French Embassy has illustrated their sportsmanship and showcased the brotherhood created in this tournament between all the embassies.”

The tournament met its close with the event organisers and partners distributing shields and mementos to each embassy representative followed by the sponsors who took part in the closing ceremony.

Qureshi, at the end of the ceremony, said, “The vision was and is to make the international community in Saudi Arabia grow stronger in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. This event and its success only open doors for other locations around the world to start similar cultural events. I am amidst looking into other British Councils around the world taking similar steps. All in all... I think we’ve struck one right into the goal!” — SG


January 29, 2019
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