Saudi Arabia Launches 50 Annual Sports Scholarships

Saudi Arabia has launched a new sports scholarship initiative aimed at supporting promising national athletes, delivered in partnership between the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Education. The program was launched in July 2025 and is active in 2026.

Under the initiative, 50 scholarships are offered annually to talented Saudi athletes. The scholarships fund study at accredited international sports universities, including institutions in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Belgium.

Why it matters

The program gives young Saudi athletes access to specialized academic and technical training abroad, combining higher education with athletic development. This can help build a stronger pipeline of skilled competitors and future sports professionals across the Kingdom.

The scholarship initiative is separate from the broader Elite Athletes' Development Program run by the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which had an announced budget of SAR 2.6 billion in 2021.

At this stage, official details on application fees, scholarship values, eligibility age limits, application steps, validity periods, deadlines, and the designated digital application channel have not been publicly specified. Interested athletes and families are advised to watch for official announcements for these details.

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