The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) participated in Leaders Week London 2026, with Managing Director Shaima Saleh AlHusseini leading the Federation’s delegation at the two-day event.
AlHusseini participated in the panel discussion, “Promoting Physical Activity: Participation and Community-Building at Scale,” which explored how physical activity can become part of everyday life, the connection between major sporting events and mass participation, and the role of commercial partnerships in supporting active communities. She was joined by Jeanette Wong, COO of London Marathon Events,and Elizabeth Duggan, CEO of parkrun.
During the session, AlHusseini highlighted how Vision 2030 has driven a national shift toward physical activity as a lifestyle choice. She noted that physical activity rates rose from just 13% in 2018 to 48.2% by 2022, as part of a nationwide effort to get more people active. Following the adoption of the international standard of 150 minutes of activity per week, 59.1% of adults were meeting recommended levels by 2025.
Commenting on her participation, AlHusseini said: “Our goal is to make physical activity a natural part of everyday life, rather than something people have to make special time for. That means understanding what helps people become active, what gets in their way, and how we can create opportunities that fit into their daily lives”.
She also discussed the Riyadh Marathon as a model linking major events with mass participation. The Marathon has grown from just over 10,000 participants in 2022 to more than 50,000 in 2026, while also achieving World Athletics Elite Road Race certification.
On commercial strategy, AlHusseini described SFA’s approach to building a strong network of partners. She pointed to collaborations with ASICS, Majid Al Futtaim and sports federations as examples of how partnerships can support greater participation and long-term impact.
Leaders Week London 2026 took place on 7–8 October at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, bringing together senior leaders and experts from across the global sports industry.
The two-day agenda featured more than 65 speakers and covered key topics shaping the sports industry, including emerging technologies, sponsorship, fan engagement, leadership, global growth and investment.
Source: Riyadh Daily
