Mr. Omar Al-Ghamdi – We are building up boxing from the grassroots in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a developing boxing nation in the Western Asian region where the former Syrian Boxing Federation’s President Mr. Mohamed Kamel Shbib did new impulse to the further projects and the country returned to the Asian boxing map in the recent two years. The country organized new events from the lowest age groups and hosted international competitions to raise the experiences of their boxers.
Saudi Arabia launched its new strategic program which starts in the upcoming months and its end point is the next edition of the Asian Games which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018. The Saudi Arabians are planning to join to more competitions in the next months and years after their international training camps. Saudi Arabia did a historical participation in the ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa this August.
Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation has got great relationships with the neighboring countries, also with Egypt and Kazakhstan. The Saudi Arabians have program for their youth, junior and schoolboys boxers in the upcoming years. Their strategy also contains developments in the national level, international competitions, and seminars for coaches and R&Js also. About their developments Asian Boxing Confederation asked the President of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation, Mr. Omar Al-Ghamdi.

– Could you please introduce your country’s boxing life?
– Saudi Arabia is in the grassroots of the sport, our Boxing Federation is working hard to spread this game through the country. As a start, Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation established two training centres in Riyadh and in Makah. In the Arab level we work collectively and intensively to have more possibilities and skills to compete in the Asian continental events.
Saudi Arabia hosted the region’s top boxing event, the important Gulf Countries Tournament in April 2016 in Riyadh where our new management proved the direction of the country’s boxing life which is on the best way to the further successes. Saudi Arabia claimed five gold medals in the Gulf Countries Tournament in the front of our crowd which was record in our boxing history.

– Would you like to tell us your strategic plans for the future and the key developments in your country?
– Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation has got strategic plan which is affecting all areas of the sport including the organizational, administrative, technical, media, public relations, equipments, finances and training aspects.
Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation has been concentrating all of its available capabilities to prepare the national teams for the main international events: Gulf Countries Championships, Arab Boxing Championships, ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships, Asian Games and other important competitions.
Currently we have got only 12 coaches in the country, among them 6 are from Saudi Arabia therefore we are planning to add 3 new coaches every year in the future. We will send 6 national coaches to the upcoming AIBA 1-star Coach Course to Khartoum, Sudan. Our key factor is to develop the technical skills of our national team members with training camps in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

– What are the main strengths and issues in your boxing life?
– Boxing is one of the submerging activity in Saudi Arabia, even though it does not receive direct support from a very big number of sport clubs. Saudi Arabia is a new in the boxing map therefore we have got several issues but the preliminary procedures of the development were successful in the country.