The network said in a statement Tuesday that the Al-Jazeera Sport news channel will report sports news and analysis in Arabic.

The Qatar-based broadcaster has become in recent years the largest holder of sports rights in the Middle East. It has been showing sports from the region on the network's 18 sports channels with commentary in Arabic, English and French. The events include the World Cup, Champions League soccer and men's and women's tennis tournaments across the Middle East and North Africa.

The channel's general manager, Nasser bin Ghanem al-Khelaifi, says the aim is to "uncover the ins and outs of everything that surrounds and affects sports, quickly, accurately and around the clock."