KONYA — The newly appointed CEO of the Saudi Olympic Training Center (SOTC) has said Saudi Arabia is not in a hurry to make achievements at international athletic competitions.

“We are not in a hurry to win medals,” said Matt Favier, an Australian high-performance sports specialist, said at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG), underway in Konya, Turkey.

With eight years to plan and prepare, he said, “We are not in a hurry, we have time, and we care about the quality of developments, and one of the best ways to help our athletes grow is through meeting and competing against international athletes from around the world.”

Favier is in the Saudi Arabian delegation participating in the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG) titled “Konya 2022”, held in Turkey with the participation of 54 Islamic countries and will continue until August 18.

Favier said: “Riyadh 2034 Asian Games is the target!”

He added, “The impact of Konya 2022 is huge, and It is always a great opportunity to allow the elite athlete to participate in such mega championships as this one.”

Regarding the Saudi Olympic Training Center’s role, Favier said: “We have around 200 elite athletes representing 17 sports, and we aim to provide a complete environment that helps the athletes focus on practicing sports and reaching their goals.”

According to Favier, the training center and the elite programs are examples of the implementation of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and show the ambitions of the sports sector and the tremendous support received by athletes, clubs and federations from the Kingdom’s government and the Quality-of-Life Program.”

Favier is a sports administrator with over 25 years of experience across various sports. He recently acted as CEO of Hockey Australia, where he developed a national league with teams playing home and away.

Saudis win 12 medals

Saudi athletes won five medals in Konya on Thursday, taking the total tally to 12 — one gold, seven silver and four bronze.

Prince Fahd bin Juluwe bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, head of the Saudi delegation, gave away the medals to the winners from different nationalities on Thursday. — SG