Saudi faced strong criticism for holding to their refusal to allow women to participate in the 2012 Olympics. The country is dominated by a strain of Islam that looks down on women doing any kind of physical activity.
I found it incredibly ridiculous, not to say unhealthy. Qatar was a stark comparison. The smaller Gulf nation is also Wahhabi, but allows for many more freedoms all around. Women do not have to wear an abaya, I was able to use the hotel gym (even run along the corniche), could have driven if I so chose. We visited Aspire Sports complex, where I saw young and probably young teenaged girls wearing short spandex outfits practicing gymnastics... cartwheels, flips, you name it. In front of men. That would be unimaginable in Saudi.
The Saudi Embassy in London announced on Sunday that women from the country will be allowed to compete in the Olympics for the first time ever. According to the embassy, Saudi's Olympics Committee will "oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify."
Definitely a positive step that Saudi women will now be allowed to participate in the Olympics. The decision apparently came after "secret meetings" between the king, (former) crown prince, foreign minister, leading religious cleric, the grand mufti, and others.
Two reservations:
1. Why did the Saudi Embassy in London make the announcement and not the country's Olympic Committee? Scared of the backlash?
2. So... you're allowing women to participate but don't allow them to practice? How can women get the training they need to be successful? The rich can always find ways around it. But the Saudis seemed to have taken the tenth step before the first, second, and third that would have allowed women to really participate.
In short, it's good for headlines. The West certainly noticed. But apparently there's only one girl who will be able to qualify, showjumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas. But the announcement seems geared more toward convincing the world Saudi is reforming than actually reforming.
I found it incredibly ridiculous, not to say unhealthy. Qatar was a stark comparison. The smaller Gulf nation is also Wahhabi, but allows for many more freedoms all around. Women do not have to wear an abaya, I was able to use the hotel gym (even run along the corniche), could have driven if I so chose. We visited Aspire Sports complex, where I saw young and probably young teenaged girls wearing short spandex outfits practicing gymnastics... cartwheels, flips, you name it. In front of men. That would be unimaginable in Saudi.
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| Seen at Aspire: So, Saudi. What was that you said about me not being able to drive?! |
Definitely a positive step that Saudi women will now be allowed to participate in the Olympics. The decision apparently came after "secret meetings" between the king, (former) crown prince, foreign minister, leading religious cleric, the grand mufti, and others.
Two reservations:
1. Why did the Saudi Embassy in London make the announcement and not the country's Olympic Committee? Scared of the backlash?
2. So... you're allowing women to participate but don't allow them to practice? How can women get the training they need to be successful? The rich can always find ways around it. But the Saudis seemed to have taken the tenth step before the first, second, and third that would have allowed women to really participate.
In short, it's good for headlines. The West certainly noticed. But apparently there's only one girl who will be able to qualify, showjumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas. But the announcement seems geared more toward convincing the world Saudi is reforming than actually reforming.
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