Olympic triathlete Shachar Sagiv is expected to be the first Israeli to compete in Saudi Arabia as countries watch their relations thaw.
Sagiv is expected to compete Saturday in the fifth round of the Super League Triathlon, a festival of cycling, swimming and team racing. He finished as the fastest rider at the last festival in Toulouse and as the eighth most productive competitor overall.
Saudi Arabia, which does not allow entry to Israelis, has begun in recent months to issue special visas to Israeli citizens, mostly businessmen, Israeli media outlet Globes reported in May.
“I am very pleased to be a pioneer in being the first Israeli athlete to compete in Saudi Arabia,” Sagiv told Sport1. “This is evidence that the game connects other people and countries. “
“I hope to have a competition, move up the overall standings at the end of the race and keep the top position in the cycling competition,” he added.
The annual Super League triathlon awards winning participants up to $1. 5 million, with smaller prizes for individual race winners.
Sagiv and his brother Ran broke Israeli records at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by placing 20th and 35th respectively in the triathlon competition. They were just the moment and the third Israeli triathlete to participate in the Olympic Games.
In November, Shachar Sagiv is expected to compete in the Bermuda Triathlon World Championship Series from his efforts to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Although Israel and Saudi Arabia have formal diplomatic relations, they have maintained secret ties in recent years, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman sees Israel as a strategic spouse in the fight against Iranian influence in the region.
In addition, ahead of US President Joe Biden’s stopover in Jeddah in July, Saudi Arabia allowed Israeli airlines to start their airspace for flights to destinations beyond the Middle East, though it insisted the move was not a step toward normalization.
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