PepsiCo sponsored Riyadh Marathon 2022 to call attention to the importance of sports

Riyadh, gulftech

PepsiCo has underlined its commitment to raising awareness of the importance of sports in Saudi Arabia. As part of its ongoing mission to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the communities it serves across the Kingdom, the company recently sponsored Saudi Arabia’s first full marathon: Riyadh Marathon 2022.

Hosted by the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA), the event was held on March 5, 2022. The Kingdom’s first-ever professional marathon, Riyadh Marathon 2022 featured more than 10,000 amateur and professional contestants, with King Saud University serving as its starting point. The inaugural event provided participants of all ages and levels of athletic ability to take part — be it by completing the full-marathon (42 km) or the 21km half-marathon. Less experienced runners were also invited to participate in a 10 km race, while a dedicated 4 km race was also held for beginners and children.

In-line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, PepsiCo’s sponsorship of Riyadh Marathon 2022 through its bottled water brand “Aquafina” is the latest step taken by PepsiCo to improve the quality of life of individuals and families across the Kingdom.

Aligned with the strategic agendas and initiatives established by local leadership, PepsiCo aims to create an affirming environment in which every tourist, citizen and resident of Saudi Arabia is given seamless access to a diverse range of cultural, entertainment and sporting activities that boost their health and wellbeing. In doing so, PepsiCo aspires to transform the country into one of the most livable destinations in the world — a leading hub of commerce, tourism and leisure.

The Riyadh Marathon 2022 sponsorship speaks to PepsiCo’s dedication to supporting the Kingdom’s objectives; namely, improving public health. The company has set out to accomplish this by increasing participation in sporting activities and reducing obesity rates.

Karim Khedr, Vice President and GM Beverages for Saudi Arabia from PepsiCo, said: “Through our participation in Riyadh 2022 Marathon, we aim to raise awareness about the importance of sport and a healthy and balanced lifestyle. We believe that this is decidedly important and contributes to the improvement of public health. Launched by PepsiCo, in collaboration with the SFA, the “Harek” initiative supports the work of the Quality of Life Program and Saudi Vision 2030 targets. It aims to raise the number of people who participate in sporting and physical activities on a weekly basis by 40% by 2030.”

“In line with PepsiCo efforts to provide a range of products, which contain a greater number of healthy food options, and clear calorie labels at points of sale, which contributes to achieving a positive impact on the general health level of the community.”

In addition to empowering people and communities across Saudi Arabia to participate in athletic, leisure and recreational activities, PepsiCo is also committed to spotlighting the importance of environmental sustainability. As the official beverage partner of Riyadh 2022 Marathon, Aquafina provided participants water packs throughout the event. In collaboration with NAQAA Solutions, the brand also installed a range of recycling plants on-site to encourage visitors to be more sustainable and mindful of their impact on their natural surroundings.

This is very much in-line with PepsiCo’s global “Pep+” strategy, which seeks to support waste recycling by reducing the use of plastics by 35% in all its beverage mobilization work by 2025 — equivalent to the disposal of 2.5 million tons of new plastic materials. PepsiCo is also committed to making all of its packaging 100% recyclable, converted or decomposed, increasing recycled materials in its plastic packaging to 25%, and investing to increase recycling rates in its main markets by 2025.