The second edition of the Saudi Sports for All’s five-week Summer Camps Program concluded last month showing a massive rise in participation among young people aged six to 18.
This year’s program from July 17 across 13 centers in 11 cities, wrapped up on Aug. 17. A total of 8,100 attended, up from the previous 1,290, an increase of over 500 percent.
A total of 2,668 young people participated in the activities on Aug. 10, and 2,663 showed up on the last day.
The SFA’s Summer Camps encourage youths –citizens, residents and tourists — to nurture their creativity while becoming fit through “edutainment.”
The camps promote the importance of team sports, teaching children and youths the value of physical exercise and activities. Over the course of the five-week program, participants are encouraged to play several sports including volleyball, basketball and football, and participate in home-management lessons and over 300 entertainment activities.
Interviewed by the SFA during one of the summer camp events, one participant’s mother said: “The environment was great in terms of coaching and logistics. Additionally, the SFA team was very responsive and helpful, with the trainers being of high quality and competence. From the very beginning of the camps to the end, you could see just how instructive the program was for the participants, with the children and youths clearly learning a great deal.”
A young boy, who participated in the program, said: “Prior to attending the program, I was always on my phone or watching TV. When my friends told me about the summer camps, I immediately joined. I found it very enjoyable and had a lot of fun taking part in physical activities and games. I learned a lot from the many classes I attended and made several friends. The highlight for me, however, was the volleyball games. I didn’t know how to play volleyball before joining the program, but now I love it.”
One young female participant said: “The summer camps really brought out the sports fan in me. It is something I now embrace as a part of who I am. Over the summer, I enjoyed playing so many sports, my favorites being basketball, football, and taekwondo.”
The SFA is the main body responsible for developing community sports and raising physical activity levels in Saudi Arabia to 40 percent by 2030. It has also launched a Tennis for All Program.
Hosted at SFA Neighborhood Clubs in Riyadh, Jeddah, and the Eastern Province, the 16-week program was set up to introduce tennis to a new generation of fans.