Dakar Rally to be held in 'unknown' Saudi Arabia in 2020

Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah of (R) won this year's Dakar in Peru (AFP Photo/FRANCK FIFE)



Paris (AFP) - The Dakar Rally will be held in Saudi Arabia from 2020, organisers announced Monday, offering contestants an "unknown landscape and uncharted terrain".



Scroll to continue with content

Dakar director David Castera described the relocation to Saudi Arabia in a five-year deal as "a voyage into the unknown".





Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal al-Saud, chairman of the Islamic kingdom's General Sports Authority, said hosting the Dakar was part of Riyadh's wider economic and social plan.

"The vision and guidance of our leaders have made our dreams and ambitions limitless and have set the sports scene in the kingdom on a remarkable success route," he said.

"Today we are thrilled to announce that Rally Dakar, an event with a huge global appeal is coming to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East for the first time. Our country is extremely passionate about sport and our strategic goal is to feed that appetite as we move further towards achieving Vision 2030, of which sport is a basic pillar."

- Embracing sport -

Vision 2030 is a blueprint drawn up by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz aimed at creating a "strong, thriving and stable Saudi Arabia that provides opportunity for all" by diversifying the economy to help ride challenges thrown up by changeable global energy prices and also by implementing social and lifestyle changes.

On the sporting front, Saudi authorities have already been busy trying to make it into an international hub, much as their regional rivals the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have.

Saudi Arabia have recently hosted the WWE Crown Jewel, a Formula-E race on the streets of Riyadh and January's Italian Super Cup between AC Milan and Juventus, while an exhibition match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in December was called off because the latter was injured.

George Groves and Callum Smith battled it out for the WBA super-middleweight and World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) titles in Jeddah, while American Dustin Johnson won the European Tour's inaugural Saudi International in February.

"In hosting the Dakar Rally we aim to produce an unbelievable and unforgettable experience for drivers as they discover the beauty of Saudi nature and a unique spectacle for motorsport fans not only in Saudi Arabia but also in the region and around the world," said Saudi sports supremo Prince Abdulaziz.

What to Read Next