Saudi Arabia at the 2012 Summer Olympics on:  
[Wikipedia]  
[Google]  
[Amazon]
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
competed at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's tenth appearance at the Olympics, except the
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
in Moscow, because of its partial support to the
United States boycott.
The
Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee
Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee (IOC code: KSA; ar, اللجنة الأولمبية السعودية وأولمبياد المعاقين) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee representing Saudi Arabia.
U ...
sent the nation's largest delegation to the Games after the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in Atlanta. Saudi Arabia also made a historic Olympic record by having two female athletes in the team for the first time, along with seventeen men playing for five different sports. Six athletes had competed in Beijing, including discus thrower
Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi
Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi (born 16 March 1985) is a Saudi Arabian discus thrower. He was born in Bisha.
His personal best is 65.52 metres, achieved in Biała Podlaska
Biała Podlaska ( la, Alba Ducalis) is a city in eastern Poland with 56,49 ...
, who became the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
Saudi Arabia left London with only a bronze medal, won by the equestrian team members
Ramzy Al Duhami
Ramzy Al-Duhami ( ar, رمزي الدهامي; born 5 January 1972) is a Saudi Arabian show jumping rider. He was born in Riyadh. He competed at the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he was awarded a Bronze medal
...
,
Abdullah Al Saud
Abdullah bin Mutaib Al Saud (born 13 October 1984) is a Saudi Arabian show jumping rider and member of House of Saud.
Early life and education
Prince Abdullah was born in London on 13 October 1984. He is the son of Mutaib bin Abdullah, the minis ...
,
Kamal Bahamdan
Kamal Bahamdan (born 12 February 1970) is a Saudi Arabian businessman and equestrian.
Early life
Kamal was born in Riyadh, after attending high school he graduated in 1994 from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engine ...
, and
Abdullah Sharbatly in show jumping.
Medalists
Female participation
In the previous games, Saudi Arabia had always sent exclusively male teams. Until recently, women's participation in sports is greatly restricted within the country, and Saudi Arabia does not permit women to compete in the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
.
["Saudi women vie for Olympic rights"](_blank)
BBC, 13 June 2008 In June 2010, the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
said it would "press" Saudi Arabia (along with
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
and
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
) to "send female athletes to the 2012 Olympic Games for the first time".
Anita DeFrantz
Anita Lucette DeFrantz (born October 4, 1952) is an American Olympic rower, member of the International Olympic Committee, and twice Vice-President of International Rowing Federation (FISA).
Biography
DeFrantz was born in 1952 in Philadelphia, ...
, chair of the IOC's Women and Sports Commission, suggested that the country be barred from participating in the Olympics until it agrees to send women athletes to the Games. In July, Qatar announced that it would include women in its
delegation to the 2012 Games, thus "increas
ngpressure on Saudi Arabia" to do the same. The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
remarked that "London 2012 may therefore see Saudi women Olympians for the first time. If not, it is conceivable the Kingdom may not be allowed to enter an all-male team".
Saudi Arabia did
send one female competitor to the
inaugural Summer Youth Olympics in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
in 2010. The International Olympic Committee had made it a requirement for every national delegation to include at least one female athlete.
Dalma Rushdi Malhas, with her horse Flash Top Hat, took part in the
individual jumping event in equestrian, and won a bronze medal, the country's only medal at those Games.
["Saudi Arabia likely to field women athletes in 2012 Olympics"](_blank)
''Al Arabiya'', 18 November 2011
In November 2011, ''
Al Arabiya
Arabiya ( ar, العربية, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is an international Arabic news television channel, currently based in Dubai, that is operated by the media conglomerate MBC.
The channel is a flag ...
'' reported that "Saudi Arabia plans to send a female equestrian team to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London to avoid being barred from taking part". Dalma Rushdi Malhas, it said, was likely to compete.
I.O.C. spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau, however, indicated that the Committee "would not mandate that the Saudis have female representation in London", arguing that "the I.O.C. does not give ultimatums nor deadlines but rather believes that a lot can be achieved through dialogue".
["Ban Urged on Saudi Arabia Over Discrimination"](_blank)
''New York Times'', 15 February 212 An unnamed senior sports official anonymously told
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
that sports authorities wished to develop women's participation in sports, but that they were "fighting deeply entrenched traditions". It was also confirmed that the Saudi national Olympic Committee would not prevent Malhas from competing at the London Games. More specifically, she would be permitted to compete if she were invited to the Games by the I.O.C., but Saudi Arabia would not be inviting her to do so itself. Instead, the country was preparing to select four male riders to send to
the equestrian competition.
(The sixth fundamental principle of Olympism as defined by the Olympic Charters states that "Any form of discrimination
..on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement." The fourth principle states that "The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind". The seventh principle states that "Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter".)
In late June 2012, the country announced that it would permit women's participation, and that its Olympic Committee would "oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify". At the time, Malhas was "the only Saudi female competitor at Olympic standard", making it likely that she would be the only woman Saudi participant in the Games. The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
described the decision as "a huge step, overturning deep-rooted opposition from those opposed to any public role for women". It noted that the change had been "led by