Islamic Solidarity Games
The Islamic Solidarity Games is a multinational, multi-sport event that has been held since 2005. Managed jointly by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Islamic Solidarity Sports Association, the Games involve elite athletes from the OIC members competing in a variety of sports. The most recent edition (2025) took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Background
The Solidarity Games were established to strengthen Islamic camaraderie and reinforce the values of Islam, primarily to the youth. The ISSF strives to improve Islamic solidarity, promote Islamic identity in sports and help reduce discrimination toward Muslims.There are currently 57 members of the OIC. Non-Muslim citizens from member countries are also allowed to take part in the Games. With the level of political fragmentation, the deficiencies in economic development in many Muslim countries, and the financial cost of the Islamic Solidarity games, the longevity of the games is an on-going challenge.
History
The idea for the Solidarity Games came from Faisal bin Fahd [Al Saud (Saudi prince)|Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia], during the Third Islamic Summit in Mecca in 1981, one year after a similar event called the Islamic Games had been held in Turkey. The first Solidarity Games were held in Saudi Arabia in 2005. In that edition, the games were male-only with 7,000 athletes from fifty-four countries competing in thirteen sports.The second Games were originally scheduled to take place in October 2009 in Iran, later rescheduled for April 2010, and ultimately canceled after a dispute arose between Iran and the Arab world over the use of the term "Persian Gulf" in logos for the Games, as some countries in the Arab world use the term "Arabian Gulf" instead. Dispute over the name has been a recurring source of disharmony between Arab states and Iran.
The 3rd Islamic Solidarity Games was held in Palembang, Indonesia in 2013 and the fourth edition took place in Baku on 12–22 May 2017.
The 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games were the fifth edition of the event. It was the first time that the event was organised by the Turkish Olympic Committee. Scheduled to take place in 2021, the event was postponed and held in 2022 in Konya, Turkey due to the Impact of [the COVID-19 pandemic on sports|COVID-19 pandemic].
The sixth games took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first to be held in a country for the second time.