Dr. Mahfoud Amara
Regional sport competitions in the Arab and broader Islamic world have increasingly become arenas through which states articulate identity, project soft power, and negotiate their place within global sport governance. The recent sixth Islamic Solidarity Games, held in Riyadh, offer a particularly illustrative example.
Twenty years after hosting the inaugural edition in 2005, Saudi Arabia welcomed the event at a moment of profound transformation in its sport sector—one that is reshaping not only domestic industries but also international sport politics.
Hosting the Games enabled Saudi Arabia to showcase the scale of its current ambitions. Domestically, the event signalled the country’s capacity to mobilize institutional, urban, financial, and human resources in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. Riyadh, as the host city, served as a partner and platform for projecting an image of modernity, efficiency, and hospitality. The opening and closing ceremonies, rich with representations of cultural heritage and regional folkloric traditions, illustrated how Saudi Arabia weaves cultural diplomacy into sport mega-events. Through this symbolic register, the country communicated messages of unity, diversity, and national cohesion.
The Solidarity Games also served as a stage for promoting values that resonate both with Olympic ideals and with the Islamic world’s collective identity.
Notably, the integration of Paralympic sports into the main program embodied an inclusive vision consistent with global trends in sport governance.
Similarly, the incorporation of Asian martial arts and the presence of cultural symbols like Al-Finjan—the traditional coffee cup associated with Gulf hospitality—illustrated how the Games blended Islamic identity with local heritage, shaping a culturally grounded yet internationally compatible sport narrative. In parallel, Qatar is hosting the second edition of the FIFA Arab Cup, another regional platform that reinforces shared cultural references across Arab nations.
The selection of Juha—a folkloric character deeply embedded in the collective memory of Arab societies—as the tournament mascot reinforces this cultural continuity. Juha embodies storytelling traditions that cut across national boundaries, symbolizing the shared imaginative heritage of the Arab world.
Building on the legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar continues to position itself as the central hub for football celebration and sport diplomacy in the region. Hosting multiple future editions of the Arab Cup consolidates its role as a convening space for Arab sporting identity during a time of shifting geopolitical, economic, and cultural configurations. Across these events, Arab states appear to be negotiating a delicate balance: embracing global sport trends—in entertainment, technology, athlete performance, and event experience—while preserving and promoting their own historical narratives, cultural symbols, and heritage.
This dual strategy reflects a broader ambition: to integrate into the global sport system not as passive participants but as cultural contributors and geopolitical actors.
* The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication
Dr. Mahfoud Amara is an Associate Professor in Sport Social Sciences and Management at Qatar University.
