In his speech at the Saudi-UK Sport Cooperation Roundtable in London yesterday, H.E. Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi, Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Economic and Social Committee in the Saudi-UK Strategic Partnership Council, reaffirmed how the vision of H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz (may God protect him) has transformed Saudi Arabia's economy and created promising opportunities across vital sectors.
Speaking before 130 public and private sector leaders from both countries, including H.R.H. Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Minister of Sports, and Sir Chris Bryant, UK Minister of State for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, H.E. Al-Kassabi emphasized the distinctive nature of Saudi-British partnership. Noting that the UK is the world's second-largest services exporter, he also discussed opportunities for bilateral cooperation in establishing a global integration framework spanning sports, tourism, culture, arts, and technology–fields that have become universal languages not requiring translation.
The roundtable, organized by the National Competitiveness Center in cooperation with the UK Department for Business and Trade, focused on introducing companies to the promising opportunities offered by the Kingdom's hosting of international sporting events, such as the 2034 FIFA World Cup. It also addressed opportunities for cooperation in areas supporting the sports sector, such as technology, infrastructure, construction, facility operations, and planning and execution of major events.
H.E. the Minister of Commerce arrived in London on a working visit, accompanied by a Saudi delegation comprising officials from 9 government agencies and 35 leaders from the business sector and major national companies. The visit aims to build economic partnerships in the sports sector between the two countries, strengthen relations across various priority sectors, and raise the level of commercial partnerships.
In a meeting with Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds, Minister of State for Business and Trade, and with the participation of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom, and the British Ambassador to the Kingdom, Mr. Neil Crompton, Al-Kassabi discussed enhancing cooperation in developing the sports sector in light of the Kingdom hosting major events such as the 2034 World Cup. They reviewed the progress of initiatives emerging from the Economic and Social Committees of the Saudi-UK Strategic Partnership Council, including developments in the negotiations of the free trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
During the meeting, the two sides highlighted the importance of the Saudi-UK Future Skills Initiative and its impact on developing skills in sectors of mutual interest, in addition to the continuation of the GREAT Futures initiative for 2025.
On the first day of the Minister of Commerce's agenda, the Saudi delegation participated in a working lunch and conducted a field visit to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. During the tour, officials reviewed the facilities' infrastructure and gained insights into their expertise in hosting major entertainment and sporting events.
The visit included participation from key Saudi entities: the Ministries of Commerce; Sports; Investment, and Finance; the 2034 World Cup Hosting Higher Authority; Public Investment Fund; National Competitiveness Center; Saudi Business Center; National Center for Privatization; and leading national companies specializing in sporting events, infrastructure, and media.
