From Riyadh to Dhahran: Ithra welcomes the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola and conducts talk sessions with prominent football stars

• In celebration of the countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2022™ 
• Tanween holds talk sessions with football stars David Villa and Sami Al-Jaber.
• Ithra is the last stop for the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola before heading to Qatar.

DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola concluded the penultimate stop of its world tour at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), before heading to Qatar.

As part of the Tour, the Original FIFA World Cup™ Trophy has been traveling to 51 countries and territories as it visits all 32 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying nations for the first time. The penultimate leg of the Trophy Tour was hosted in the cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran, in celebration of starting the countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2022™ kickoff in Qatar.

The events are part of the fifth FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola, which invites football fans to view the most iconic symbol in football and experience the real magic of the world's largest, most anticipated sporting event – the FIFA World Cup 2022™. The one-and-only, solid-gold Original FIFA World Cup™ Trophy, the same trophy presented by FIFA to the team winning the FIFA World Cup™, is on display for fans to see.

The event was part of Ithra's Tanween talk series "Football: The Great Game of Collaboration" on Saturday November 12, 2022 as one of the talks presented by the fifth edition of Ithra's Tanween creativity season. The session covered several topics about the passion for football presented by the Spanish football star and FIFA legend, David Villa; the international Saudi player, Sami Al-Jaber; Yasser Almisehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation; and Nazli Berberoglu; General Manager of the FIFA World Cup 2022™ at The Coca-Cola Company. The session was moderated by the sports journalist Khaled Alarafah.

The session explored the speakers' most prominent stories about football victories and failures, how this popular game inspires the audience through the power of creativity, and how its impact is manifested in people's lives as it brings teams, fans, nations and people from all over the world together, united by their love of the sport.

The session also explored the creative process on multiple fronts, such as dialogue, and influencing others to move forward with creative processes based on the principle of cooperation as it represents the impact of "collaboration" – Tanween's theme for 2022, which is conducting its activities under the slogan: "Collaborate to Create." The session has included finding the best means to collaborate with, for, and through others, and the extent to which cultural collaboration, including with nature, can succeed through technology to serve our communities.

The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola, which started its coast-to-coast visit when it touched down in Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport on 11 November was organized in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Sports and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). Following a number of iconic visits to the King Abdulaziz Sports City and Jeddah Corniche, the trophy then flew to Riyadh for a VIP event in At-Turaif, Diriyah and a fan experience with the Original Trophy at Granada Mall. Ithra will be the tour's last stop in Saudi Arabia before it heads to Qatar where it will remain for the duration of the tournament.

The Coca-Cola Company has had a long-standing relationship with FIFA since 1976 and has been an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup^™ since 1978. Coca-Cola has advertised at every FIFA World Cup™ stadium since 1950 and is a long-time supporter of football at all levels. This is the fifth time that Coca-Cola and FIFA have come together to bring the FIFA World Cup^™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola to the world.

Get involved by posting your own FIFA World Cup^™ Trophy Tour memories by using the hashtag #BelievingIsMagic

About the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra):

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), located in Dhahran in eastern Saudi Arabia, is a creative and interactive public hub for workshops, performances, events, exhibitions and experiences. The Center provides an enriching journey for society by stimulating diversity, celebrating creativity and encouraging cooperation with the aim of revitalizing the knowledge economy in Saudi Arabia.

Ithra is Saudi Aramco's most ambitious Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, and the Kingdom's largest cultural contribution. Through a range of exciting programs and initiatives, Ithra creates world-class experiences that combine culture, innovation and knowledge, and is designed to suit everyone. Ithra's components include: the Idea Lab, a library, a theater, a five-gallery museum, a cinema, the Great Hall, the Energy Exhibit, the Children's Museum, and the Ithra Tower.

About Coca-Cola Middle East

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries.

The Coca-Cola Company Middle East operation spans across 12 markets including 6 GCC countries, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Yemen. With 23 bottling plants across the region, our portfolio includes nearly 20 sparkling soft drink brands including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Thums Up, QJ, Canada Dry and Schweppes; our hydration and juice brands include arwa, crystal, Al Waha, dasani minera, safia, minute maid, cappy, fuze tea and glaceau vitamin water.

Our company's purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference and we're constantly transforming our portfolio to bring innovative new products with something for everyone. We also seek to positively impact people's lives, communities and the planet through our sustainability initiatives - from water replenishment to waste management, recycling to women empowerment initiatives while we continue to create a rewarding ecosystem for our employees, partners, consumers and customers.

For more information, visit us at Coca-Cola Middle East.

About the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy

The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup™ while remaining in FIFA's possession. Made of solid gold and weighing 6.142kg, the trophy depicts two human figures holding the globe aloft. Its current design dates back to 1974. As one of the most recognized sports symbols in the world and a priceless icon, the original FIFA World Cup™ Trophy can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup™ and heads of state. Because regulations state that the original trophy must remain in FIFA's possession and cannot be won outright, the team winning the FIFA World Cup™ retains the authentic trophy temporarily and is then permanently awarded the tournament edition trophy, the FIFA World Cup™ Winner's Trophy (which is gold-plated, rather than solid gold, and engraved with the year, host country and winners of the respective event).

The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola is an extraordinary opportunity for people to take in a piece of football history and share their passion for the sport with each other. The emotions of seeing the original FIFA World Cup™ Trophy will stay in football fans' memories forever.

Contact:  Nour Aldajani, nour.aldajani@aramco.com 

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1945586/Ithra_David_Villa.jpg