Sports

15 Apr 2023; MEMO: The Azerbaijani delegation has withdrawn from the European Weightlifting Championships at the Armenian capital after the country's flag was burned at the opening ceremony.

A statement from Azerbaijan's Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Committee said on Saturday that the flag was demonstratively burned by an officially accredited person at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Friday.

06 Apr 2023; MEMO: Hussain Besou was just four when he started asking his father to teach him chess, hovering around the board as he played in the evenings in the Middle East until he said yes, Reuters reports.

After mastering the basic moves, Besou quickly surprised everyone with his talent.

"He started correcting us and telling us what we should have done to win," said his 43 year-old father, Mustafa.

04 Apr 2023; MEMO: The Middle East's sports industry is expected to grow by 8.7 per cent by 2026 – compared with global sector growth of 3.3 per cent over the same period, the World Economic Forum report says.

According to the report, from the excitement on the Formula 1 race circuits of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's signing to Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr FC, the Middle East's sports industry is making headlines across the globe.

27 Mar 2023; MEMO: Qatar's Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani has submitted a fresh bid to buy English Premier League football club Manchester United, according to reports on Saturday.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Further pressure has been piled on former footballer and BBC Sports presenter, Gary Lineker, over a tweet last year in which he deplored the killing of a Palestinian footballer, with UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) slamming it as misleading.

16 Feb 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in Japanese gaming giant Nintendo for the second time in a month. The PIF now owns 7.08 per cent, up from 6.07 per cent in January, according to a report by Trading View.

15 Feb 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has been selected to host the 2023 Club World Cup in December, FIFA announced yesterday.

The FIFA Council unanimously voted for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to stage the event, which includes the six continental champions plus the host's national champions, Reuters reports.

The tournament will take place from 12-22 December.

09 Feb 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has offered to pay for new football stadiums in Greece and Egypt in return for their alliance in jointly bidding to host the 2030 World Cup.

24 Jan 2023; MEMO: A twenty-billion-dollar takeover bid (£16bn) by Saudi Arabia to buy Formula One was rejected by the sport's current owners, Liberty Media. The American firm had bought F1 in 2017 for less than a quarter of the amount Saudi Arabia was willing to pay, £3.3 billion pounds ($4.1bn). Nevertheless, talks between the wealthy Gulf State and Liberty Media are said to have broken down.

15 Jan 2023; MEMO: Following the record-breaking contract signed last month between Saudi football club Al-Nassr and former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, two other Saudi teams have reportedly expressed interest in signing Argentinian World Cup winner, Lionel Messi after his father and agent, Jorge, was said