Olympian triathlete Shachar Sagiv is set to be the first Israeli to compete in Saudi Arabia, as the countries see progressively thawing relations.
Sagiv is slated to participate on Saturday in the fifth round of the Super League Triathlon, a team-based cycling, swimming and running competition. He ranked the fastest cyclist in the most recent competition in Toulouse and was the eighth-best competitor overall.
Saudi Arabia, which does not generally allow Israelis to enter, has in the past few months begun to issue special visas to Israeli citizens, primarily businesspeople, Israeli news outlet Globes reported in May.
“I am very excited to be a trailblazer by being the first Israeli athlete to compete in Saudi Arabia,” Sagiv told the website Sport1. “This is proof that sports connect peoples and countries.”
