Tourism & Hospitality | Tuesday 15 March, 2016 1:35 pm |

ALBAIK Food Systems Company, which owns the vastly popular Saudi fried chicken brand ALBAIK, held its 10th Father & Son Tournament recently in Jeddah. 

His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ed was the guest of honor at the tournament, which ALBAIK held in partnership with Jeddah United Company, with the support of a number of sporting celebrities.

Among the other distinguished guests were Ali Hussein Alireza, Managing Director of Haji Hussein Alireza; Dr. Ghazi Madani, former President of King Abdul Aziz University; Saudi media analyst Khaled Almaeena; Abdulelah Moumena, General Manager of Al-Ahli Club; His Excellency Ibrahim Mosly, former Saudi ambassador to Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Brunei; Majid Al-Sahafi and Badr Al-Mohaissen, members of the Sports Investment Committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Ahmad Rosi, General Manager of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare; and a group of representatives from the media, and a wide audience of parents and children. 

This year’s tournament was the most popular to date with more than 800 attendees, of which approximately majority were children, supporting 400 soccer players and 200 basketball players. 

ALBAIK’s 10th event rounds off a decade of dedication to sportsmanship and social solidarity for hundreds of people who enjoy active lifestyles with strong relations, and who created so many priceless, timeless moments throughout the tournament’s 10-year history.

Obaid Madani, head of the tournament’s organizing committee and CEO of Jeddah United, welcomed Prince Abdullah and thanked him for patronizing the opening ceremony. He also welcomed ambassador Mosly and guests, among which was Saudi TV celebrity Qusai Khadr.

“The 10th ALBAIK Father & Son Tournament aims to spread the culture of sportsmanship and teamwork in our society and bolster our already strong sense of family,” he said.

“This year’s tournament had a lot of activities, with the Ministry of Health taking part with anti-smoking programs that pointed out the detriments of that bad habit, as well as the Saudi Red Cross. The 10th tournament embodied the concerted efforts of all business, sports and health sectors, which came together for the benefit of society.”

Engineer Rami Abu-Ghazaleh, Chief Executive Officer of ALBAIK Food Systems Company, said that the annual Father & Son Tournament is one of the company’s most innovative programs, which aims to foster a better, more compassionate society by nurturing positive familial ties and cultivating compassion and trust among members of the family.

“We were delighted to see so much interest in our 10th tournament, which revolved around every member of the family whatever their ages may be,” he said. “The happiness we saw on their faces, and the warmth and amiability with which they interacted with each other, were a sight to behold.

“It has been a full decade since we held our first tournament, and throughout its iterations we have always been happy that it helped bolster family ties among the participants and encouraged them to pursue healthy, active lifestyles.

“We conceived the competition out of our solid belief in the essence of love and compassion among the members of a family, in an attempt to contribute to the building of a society that reveres its elders and dotes over its youngsters, and to help fathers to become role models for their children in leadership, compassion, and discipline.”

There were 140 basketball players in four age groups that ranged between 4 and 18, as well as 280 players in the soccer tournament. At end of the finals, the winners in both games were presented with trophy cups.

ALBAIK is one of the Kingdom’s corporations that pioneered educational, social and entertainment programs focused on enhancing the mental and creative skills of young Saudis, such as the company’s ongoing environmental campaign, as well as a training program to teach young boys and girls home improvement skills known as House Heroes.