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Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation (الاتحاد العربي السعودي لألعاب القوى)

Saudi Arabia’s athletics federation, established in 1963 and based in Riyadh according to Saudipedia; listed by the Athletics Integrity Unit as the country’s national federation in World Athletics.
✓ Last reviewed: October 2026
Founded1963, per Saudipedia and the federation’s profile[3][4]
HeadquartersRiyadh, per Saudipedia[3]
International federationWorld Athletics, as listed by the Athletics Integrity Unit (2026 list)[1]
Area associationAsian Athletics Association, as listed by the Athletics Integrity Unit (2026 list)[1]

What is the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation?

The Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation (الاتحاد العربي السعودي لألعاب القوى) is the national body for athletics in Saudi Arabia. Saudipedia, the encyclopedia published by the Saudi Ministry of Media, describes it as one of the Kingdom’s sports federations, the governing body for track and field and the sport’s principal representative in domestic and international competition.[3] The same entry describes it as a sports body with legal personality, funded by government allocations, competition revenue, donations and annual membership subscriptions.[3]

What does the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation govern or do?

Saudipedia lists the federation’s tasks as developing the sport and raising awareness of it, encouraging public participation, training specialist coaches to work with school students and others, and preparing athletes to take part in international championships.[3] It records the federation’s teams competing at the World Athletics Championships, the Asian Athletics Championships, the Asian Games, the Continental Cup and the Gulf Athletics Championships.[3]

When was the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation founded and where is it based?

Saudipedia dates the federation to 1383 AH, or 1963 CE, when it was established as the Saudi Arabian Society for Athletics; it gives the federation’s seat as Riyadh.[3] The federation’s profile on olympians.sa likewise states that it “was established in 1963 and was named as the Saudi Arab Athletics Association”.[4]

How is the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation recognised?

World Athletics. The Athletics Integrity Unit lists the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation (code KSA) in its List of Categorised National Federations as of 2026, drawn up under Rule 15 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules, placing it in category C and assigning it to the Asian Athletics Association (AAA).[1][2]

Affiliation history. The federation’s profile states that it joined the international athletics federation, now World Athletics, in 1963, the Arab Athletics Federation in 1975 and the Asian Athletics federation in 1976, and that it co-founded the organising committee of the GCC countries in 1985.[4]

What does the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation organise?

Saudipedia describes the federation’s work as building an active community of athletics practitioners in the Kingdom and preparing its athletes for the international calendar, from the Gulf Athletics Championships to the World Athletics Championships.[3] It lists revenue from domestic and international competitions among the federation’s sources of income.[3]

Who are its members?

Saudipedia names annual membership subscriptions among the federation’s sources of funding, alongside government allocations, competition revenue, donations and gifts.[3] Its stated tasks reach coaches, school students and the wider public, whose participation in the sport the federation is charged with encouraging.[3]

References

  1. Athletics Integrity Unit — Rule 15: List of Categorised National Federations as of 2026 (PDF). Accessed 2026-10-06.
  2. Athletics Integrity Unit — National Federation Anti-Doping Obligations. Accessed 2026-10-06.
  3. Saudipedia (Saudi Ministry of Media) — الاتحاد العربي السعودي لألعاب القوى. Accessed 2026-10-06.
  4. olympians.sa — Saudi Athletics Federation profile. Accessed 2026-10-06.