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Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Gone is the 'Prince of Arab Youth'
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz, the Saudi director-general for youth and sports who died of a heart attack on Saturday at 54, earned the title "Prince of Arab Youth" for his selfless commitment to Arab and international sports and his dedication to improving the future of youths in the Arab world.
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz
In recognition of his achievements, the Pan-Arab Games in Jordan paid tribute to Faisal, the eldest son of King Fahd, by halting all competition for three hours on Sunday. All flags flew at half-mast and ceremonies conducted during the awarding of medals were scaled down to low-key affairs. The heads of Arab delegations currently in Jordan were flown to Saudi Arabia aboard a private plane to pay their last respects. In addition, the Jordanian Organising Committee decided to cancel the final celebrations of the Games scheduled for 31 August.
Following his graduation from the University of California in 1971, Faisal held a litany of leading posts. In 1974, he became the president of the Saudi Olympic Committee and in 1975 was chosen president of the Saudi Football Federation. In 1976 he was elected chairman of the Arab Football Federation. In 1981, Faisal was elected president of the Islamic Solidarity Federation and in 1984 he became a member of the International Olympic Committee. In 1982 he became president of the Saudi Arabian Disabled Federation.
Faisal garnered several awards from Arab leaders during his lifetime. In 1973, Saudi King Faisal decorated him with the Kingdom's highest award. He was given the Medal of the Throne by King Hussein of Jordan in 1985. Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba awarded him the Medal of the Republic of the First Order in 1986. Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah awarded him the Medal of Excellence in 1993.
Faisal was a philanthropist of the first order, donating $160,000 to the Arab Sports Federation and LE300,000 to the Arab Disabled Federation. He was especially generous towards Egypt, giving LE1 million to the Egyptian Football Federation and the Egyptian Olympic Committee.
