The Saudi Special Olympics men’s basketball team and the Saudi Special Olympics women’s basketball team will take part in the Unified Basketball World Cup – Puerto Rico 2025, hosted by the city of San Juan from December 5 to 7, 2025. The tournament will feature national teams from around the world and is considered one of the most prominent international unified basketball competitions.
The Saudi men’s team roster includes players Yousef Al-Oqbi, Majed Fallatah, and Samir Al-Zahiri, alongside unified partners Saud Al-Ghamdi and Abdulaziz Hossawi. The women’s team roster includes players Fatimah Al-Masoud, Dalal Al-Shammari, and Sarah Bosbeit, along with unified partners Sarah Al-Bakheet and Naeema Al-Munif.
The technical staff is led by coach Talal Abdulqader for the men’s team and coach Haya Al-Dossary for the women’s team, with administrative supervision by Mohammed Al-Qahtani and delegation leadership by Abdullah Al-Meshri.
The formation of both teams followed a series of tryouts held across several regions under the supervision of basketball technical consultants. Players were evaluated based on technical skills, fitness levels, and team performance, after which the final rosters were selected.
Training camps ran from October 26 to November 27, 2025. The men’s team camp was hosted at Prince Sultan Sports Complex in Jeddah, while the women’s team camp was held at the Efaa Club for Special Olympics in Dammam. The camps included technical and physical programs as well as friendly matches aimed at raising readiness levels and strengthening cohesion between Special Olympics athletes and unified partners.
On this occasion, Director of Communication and Partnerships Talal Al-Humaidan emphasized that this participation represents an important milestone reflecting the development of the sport and the integration of the technical work system. He praised the outstanding role of the technical staff led by coach Talal Abdulqader and coach Haya Al-Dossary for their significant efforts in preparing the players and enhancing their readiness for competition.
Al-Humaidan said: “We are proud to represent the Kingdom in a global competition with this unified character, and of the high spirit and discipline shown by the men’s and women’s team players during the preparation period. We appreciate the great work of the technical and administrative teams and look forward to an honorable performance that reflects a positive image of the Kingdom’s participation in international events.” He wished the champions success in this competition.
This participation comes as part of the Saudi Special Olympics’ ongoing commitment to supporting and empowering its athletes and providing them with opportunities to represent the Kingdom in international forums, thereby strengthening Saudi Arabia’s sporting presence on the global stage and reflecting the strong support given to sports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
