NEOM hosts international beach sporting competitions

NEOM hosted a number of beach sporting competitions over the past three days including the NEOM Beach Soccer Cup and the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation's (IWWF) NEOM Wakeboard Cup.

The final match of the soccer cup will be held on Saturday with Egypt going head to head with Oman.

The three-day beach soccer competition, which started on July 17, brought together seven national beach soccer teams: Argentina, England, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Oman and China.

Meanwhile, 24 wakeboarders, 15 male and nine female, are competing for $100,000 in prize money and travel allowances.

“I think the climate is really cool. It’s perfect for what we’re doing. It’s hot and we’ve got nice water, so hopefully the conditions out there put it on for us,” Australian wakeboarder Zahra Kell said.

The Wakeboard Cup’s Pro Men’s Semi-Finals, Pro Women’s Finals and Pro Men’s Finals will be live streamed on Saturday.

The competitions come as the mega-city seeks to become a hotspot for international extreme sporting events.

The IWWF's Executive Director Paul Fong said: "We are excited about running the first competitive wakeboard boat event in a new destination, where there is huge potential for the development of our sport. We believe the sporting and cultural experience will leave a lasting impression on all those who participate in this inaugural event."

"It's great testimony to the spirit of NEOM that we are hosting the IWWF NEOM Wakeboard Cup at such an early stage in our development," said Jason Harborow, head of NEOM's Future of Sport sector. "As we evolve, Beach Sports will be an important part of our offering and major events will be high on the agenda."