Pop stars J Balvin and Amr Diab are some of the big music acts scheduled to perform at the opening ceremony of the Gamers8 esports festival in Riyadh.
They will join DJs Sebastian Ingrosso from Swedish House Mafia and Salvatore Ganacci at Boulevard Riyadh City on July 14 as part of celebrations kicking off the eight-week event.
Tickets will be made available soon from the official website.
Running under the theme “Your Portal to the Next World”, Gamers8 is described as “the biggest esports and gaming event worldwide”, with tournaments being played alongside various entertainment and cultural offerings.
According to its organiser, the Saudi Esports Federation, more than 1,000 activities, from concerts to comedy and magic shows, are planned as part of the programme.
On the sporting front, Gamers8 invites some of the world’s best players and teams to compete across popular titles, such as Rocket League, Dota 2, Fortnite, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG Mobile.
The total prize pool on offer is $15 million, one of the biggest in any esports competition.
Elite esports teams confirmed to take part include Furia from Brazil and FaZe Clan from the US. They will be battling it out against a number of Saudi teams, including Team Falcons.
The tournaments will be broadcast live on the festival’s social media channels in more than eight languages, including Arabic and English.
“The opening ceremony of Gamers8 will be a spectacular occasion, befitting a city of the imagination and ambition of Riyadh,” said Ahmed Al Bishri, chief operations officer of the Saudi Esports Federation.
“The goal of Gamers8 is to bring the virtual world of esports and gaming out into the physical realm of Riyadh while merging a plethora of other fun and futuristic events and attractions.
“We look forward to revealing even more artists of the quality of the opening night as the summer progresses — so watch this space.”
A booming industry
The scale of Gamers8 reflects the growth of gaming in the kingdom.
In January, a report by Boston Consulting Group stated that gaming consumption in Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's largest economy, is projected to reach $6.8 billion by 2030.
The consultancy also highlighted that, along with esports, the sector is poised to generate substantial revenue, high-quality jobs and various reputational benefits in the kingdom, where consumption is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 22 per cent through 2030 from $959 million in 2020.
Gamers8 follows the success of Gamers Without Borders, an annual esports charity tournament that has raised more than $20m in charity since launching in 2020, according to the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sport.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
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Melville House
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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