Stock image: Members of the Jeddah Kings United all female team training

Saudi Arabian officials have taken a huge, progressive step and will, for the first time ever, allow Saudi women to compete in the Olympic Games at this year’s event in London.

Up until recently there was speculation that the entire Saudi team might have been disqualified from the Olympics on the grounds of gender discrimination. However, for the past six weeks, King Abdullah has been leading behind-the-scenes discussions to include women in the games. He has long been pushing for women to play a more active role in their society, and in mid-June, a consensus was reached in Jeddah between the king, the crown prince, the foreign minister, the leading religious cleric, the grand mufti and others, to overturn the ban.

Many Saudi religious conservatives still fiercely oppose the participation of women in sport and there is almost no tradition of women partaking in sport.

The decision has come at a very late stage, only a month prior to the commencement of the Games. As such, it seems showjumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas is the only Saudi participant who is at Olympic standard. Still, the country’s officials will “oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify”. If any do make the cut they will be dressed in such a way as to “preserve their dignity”. Most likely, this will consist of a “sports hijab”, a scarf which covers the hair but not the face, and loose-fitting garments.

The decision alone is huge step for the desert kingdom, which overturns “deep-rooted opposition from those opposed to any public role for women”.

[Source: BBC]