Saudi Arabia receives major blow following mysterious explosion hits Dakar Rally

SANAA, Jan. 07 (YPA) – The mysterious explosion that hit a support vehicle belonging to the French Sodicars team at the Dakar Desert Rally in Saudi Arabia was a major blow to the kingdom’s efforts to organize international sporting events as it seeks to polish its image globally.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been spending millions of dollars organizing international sporting events to change its conservative image in the world, including the 2021 Formula One race held in Jeddah last month, and will host next week’s Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh.

Pascal Boniface, founding director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, told AFP: “This is a blow to the organizers and Saudi Arabia.”

Boniface said the Dakar Rally is no longer being held in the Dakar region “to avoid the threat of attacks and security problems, and security issues are again on their heads.”

The legendary race, formerly known as Paris-Dakar, was launching from the French capital on its way to Senegal’s capital Dakar as a final stop.

But security threats along the north African route led to his transfer to South America in 2009 before it landed in Saudi Arabia since 2020.

E.M