One of the largest luxury cruise liners in Saudi Arabia has hosted the country’s first netball tournament while sailing on the Red Sea.
The MSC Bellissima, a 4,500-passenger cruise ship, was the setting for the kingdom’s foray into competitive netball.
During a three-day cruise from Jeddah to Jordan, a three-round tournament took place on-board the vessel with two teams, one from Riyadh and one from Jeddah, taking to the court.
The team from Riyadh's Golden Sports Academy claimed victory, winning all three games aboard the largest cruise ship to sail the Red Sea.
The action unfolded in the cruise liner's sports complex and several passengers on-board had the chance to witness sporting history with spectator seats full on both sides of the court, with more than 40 guests attending each match.
The event was organised by the Saudi Sports for All Federation and the Saudi Tourism Authority.
Potential for Saudi Arabia's sports tourism
This highlights the opportunities that exist in the kingdom’s sports tourism industry, which is one of the fastest-growing areas of the global tourism sector.
Netball is one of several sports announced by the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee in May as part of a countrywide effort to widen the range of sports offered to young people in the country.
Played by more than 20 million people in over 80 countries around the world, the sport is finding its place in the kingdom. Dominated by women, it fits into Saudi Arabia’s initiatives as part of Vision 2030 to increase female involvement in sport as part of a healthy and active lifestyle.
“Netball is an ideal sport to introduce across schools in the kingdom,” said Princess Ghada bint Abdullah Al Saud, chairwoman of Netball Saudi.
“As a game, netball is inviting, accessible, encouraging, fun, and inclusive. Its game rules ensure the equal participation of all players on the court. In netball, everyone contributes equally to the success of the team, regardless of the individual role they play. It is the perfect expression of an inclusive society.”
The MSC Bellissima was delivered in 2019 and has a deck surface area of 450,000 square metres.
As well as having a sports complex, the ship has a wide range of accommodation options, a luxurious spa, a Broadway-style theatre, shopping district, bowling alley and Formula One simulators.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
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Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
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Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
