Saudi Sports For All Challenge Fall 2019 Winners Announced in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

On Wednesday, January 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, EdVenture Partners and the Saudi Sports For All Federation held final presentations for the fall 2019 Saudi Sports For All Challenge.

18 groups from 12 colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia and the United States participated in the challenge to design, implement and measure the success of a social or digital initiative, product or tool that achieves the Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Goal to increase community participation in sports and fitness activities in country. To support their goals, teams were given $1,000 USD to use to further their campaigns.

After several months of campaign work, three finalist teams were selected on January 2, giving them just a few weeks to fine-tune their presentations for an esteemed panel of judges, Saudi Sports For All Federation, public and private sector leaders and other V.I.P. audience members.

After judges’ deliberation, the winners were announced as follows:

1st Place: Umm Al-Qura University (Mecca, Saudi Arabia) – Endorphin

The Endorphin campaign prepared youth leaders to form their own Community Sports Groups (CSGs). Team ‘Endorphin’ proposed hosting a two-day camp for future sports leaders and encouraged them to share their favorite sport with their community.

2nd Place: Southern Illinois University (Illinois, USA) - 150 Minutes

150 Minutes was designed to target Saudi Arabian university students who are between the ages of 18 and 35, helping them to develop a regular exercise routine, which includes 150 minutes of exercise per week for optimum health. The team created a weekly exercise group on the Southern Illinois University campus that meets three times per week, applying the physical activity guidelines they have promoted.

3rd Place: University of Ha’il (Ha’il, Saudi Arabia) - Your Health in Your Steps

The Your Health in Your Steps campaign conceptualized collaborating with local authorities to connect women and men between the ages of 35-50 with existing sports services. Their plan includes organizing in each of the nine neighborhoods of Ha’il to host competitive sports tournaments among the groups.

Finalist teams were awarded scholarship funds in the amounts of $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 respectively. Congratulations to the finalist teams for all of your hard work and success!