As sport enters another pivotal year in 2020, athletes from across the Gulf will be looking to make their mark on the big stage.
While football superstars like Mohamed Salah and Riyad Mahrez will be at the forefront again, there are many others determined to shine over the next 12 months and grab their opportunity in the spotlight, some of them with the Olympics in Tokyo the pinnacle of their careers.
Meanwhile, Arab women have made great strides on the international sports stage in recent years, and 2020 promises to be another year when women from the region continue to make their mark.
Reem Abulleil takes a look at 20 of the top Arab sports stars for 2020
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)