The Shoura Council has called on the General Presidency of Youth Welfare (GPYW) to take action against fanaticism in sports.

This comes in the wake of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman banning Prince Mamdouh bin Abdul Rahman from taking part in sports activities and speaking to the media for making a racist slur.

Prince Mamdouh reportedly made the racist remark against Adnan Jestiniya, a sports writer, during a talk show on a Saudi television channel. Jestiniya reportedly responded that he would not continue participating in the show. The prince has been criticized by Saudi bloggers on social networking sites.

The call by the Shoura Council was made at its 33rd session, during a briefing on a GPYW report for the year 2013/2014, presented by Abdulaziz Al-Hadlaq, the chairman of the council’s committee on social, family and youth affairs.

The Shoura also called on the GPYW to work with the education, social affairs and municipal and rural affairs ministries to open more clubs and youth hostels for young people, Assistant House Speaker Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan told reporters after the session.

The Shoura also asked the GPYW to provide a report on its services and programs, including its contribution to sports, social and cultural events for women in accordance with Islamic teachings.

The Shoura urged the GPYW to use the planned 11 sports stadiums to develop centers that would attract young Saudis. The GPYW should also work with the Education Ministry to set up a program that can identify talented young sports people.

Meanwhile, the Shoura approved the agreement to abide by the Protocol to Eliminate the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. This followed a report on the matter presented by Sattam Lingawi, the council’s health committee chairman.

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