The Drone Racing League (DRL) Announces 2018 Allianz World Championship In Saudi Arabia
NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The Drone Racing League (DRL), the world’s premier drone racing circuit, and The General Sport Authority (GSA) of Saudi Arabia today announced the 2018 DRL Allianz World Championship will take place in Saudi Arabia next September. Supporting the GSA’s broader commitment to sports and the development of drone racing in Saudi Arabia, the 2018 DRL Allianz World Championship will be the first professional drone race staged in the kingdom. Marking the 7th and final event of the 2018 DRL Season, the Allianz World Championship will push the eight most elite FPV (First Person View) pilots on the planet to race custom-built DRL drones in excess of 90 miles per hour through a complex, three dimensional racecourse, fighting to be crowned the World’s Greatest Drone Pilot. The final race will be broadcast in 87 countries on the best sports programs on the globe including, ESPN, OSN, Sky Sports, ProSiebenSat.1, FOX Sports Asia, and Disney XD.
“With a rapidly growing fanbase in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East, we felt it was crucial to expand our presence locally and debut our iconic 2018 race there,” said DRL CEO/Founder, Nicholas Horbaczewski. “We’re thrilled to partner with the GSA of Saudi Arabia to deliver the sport of the future directly to new fans internationally.”
Of the announcement, President of the General Sport Authority of Saudi Arabia: H.E. Turki Al-Alsheikh said: “The partnership with the Drone Racing League demonstrates our commitment to promoting and developing sports in the kingdom. Bringing the Allianz World Championship to Saudi Arabia will help grow this uniquely innovative sport in the region.”
DRL is the only global professional drone racing organization. Their 2017 Season followed 16 professional pilots competing through six races in the US and Germany, with the final eight going head to head in the DRL Allianz World Championship in London’s Alexandra Palace. DRL has reached more than 50 million global broadcast viewers in their first two seasons, and driven more than 100 million views of their digital content. In February, DRL introduced Allianz as the title sponsor of DRL’s elite race circuit, leveraging the insurance brand’s motor racing sponsorship heritage to bring the “Sport of the Future” to a rapidly growing worldwide audience. The partnership with the GSA will help DRL to continue to expand its global footprint and bring iconic DRL events across the world.
ABOUT DRL
DRL is the premier drone racing circuit for elite FPV pilots around the world. A technology, sports and media company, DRL combines world-class media and proprietary technology to create thrilling drone racing content with mass appeal. In 2017, DRL hosted a global series of six races, the Allianz World Championship, that were broadcast on ESPN, Sky Sports, ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, Disney XD, OSN, FOX Sports Asia and other leading broadcast channels around the world. Founded by Nicholas Horbaczewski in 2015, DRL is a privately held company headquartered in NYC. For more information on DRL, visit www.drl.io. To join the conversation, follow DRL on Facebook at facebook.com/thedroneracingleague, on Twitter @DroneRaceLeague, and on Instagram @thedroneracingleague.
ABOUT The General Sport Authority
The General Sport Authority (GSA) is the government body responsible for sport in Saudi Arabia – from elite international level down to grassroots development level. The GSA takes care of the sports city’s operations and maintenance, as well as running the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, supporting the Kingdom’s youth by providing leisure activities, owning and managing the public and professional sports facilities in the Kingdom, creating and directing programmes and initiatives for sports, managing and funding the Olympic committee and all 30 Saudi sports federations.
