Women's Sport In Saudi Arabia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Women's sport in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
has been a controversial topic for many years due to the suppression of female participation in sport by conservative Islamic religious authorities. In 2013 Saudi Arabia’s first dedicated sports centre for girls was opened in
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
, offering training programs that include physical fitness, karate, yoga and weight loss as well as special activities for children. That year it was also announced that Saudi Arabian girls are officially allowed to take part in sports in private schools, which they had not officially been allowed to do previously, though they had done so unofficially. Sports activities are prohibited in public schools for girls. In 2017, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education (MoE) allowed physical education in public schools. This step was taken in line with Saudi Vision 2030 to boost healthy practices among different spectrums in Saudi Arabia. Until 2018 women were not permitted in sport stadiums, even as spectators. Segregated seating, allowing women to enter, has been developed in King Fahd Stadium, King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium. In the framework of Saudi Arabia's endeavour to promote women's sport, Princess Reema bint Bandar was appointed as the head of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports (SFCS) which made her the first Saudi woman to occupy such a position. In 2019, the first female Saudi sport commentator, Hailah Al-Farraj, was hired. Farraj was selected to report on the GCC women's soccer competition. In 2019 Saudi Arabia hosted the first open format curling tournament ever held in Africa or the Middle East. The event took place at the Funland Bowling & Ice Skating Centre in Manama, Bahrain, on October 11–12, 2019. Hosted by the Kingdom Curling Association, the tournament was open to 12 teams of four or more players. Each team required a mixture of male and female athletes.


Olympic and Paralympic games

The Saudi 2012 Summer Olympics team included female athletes for the first time ever, and they sent female athletes again in 2016. The Saudi Paralympic team has not yet included any women.


2012 Summer Olympics in London

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
sending women to compete in the Olympics in 2012 was listed at number two in
Cambridge News The ''Cambridge News'' (formerly the ''Cambridge Evening News'') is a British daily newspaper. Published each weekday and on Saturdays, it is distributed from its Milton base. In the period December 2010 – June 2011 it had an average daily c ...
' top nine milestones for women in sports. Sarah Attar, an American born dual US-Saudi citizen, participated in women's track finishing last in the competition, while Wojdan Shaherkani was defeated in her Judo competition in under two minutes. Despite the losses, being the first women to represent their country in the Olympics is considered an overall success for the participants, and Attar received a standing ovation as she pursued the finish line from the audience in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. She reports seeing positive changes during her visits to Saudi Arabia as a result of her participation, with female students becoming more interested in sport. Saudi scholar Ali al-Ahmed said that "their presence has allowed Saudi Arabia to escape criticism".


2016 Summer Olympics in Rio

Saudi Arabia sent four athletes to the Rio Olympics, with Attar competing in the marathon, Kariman Abuljadayel, a student at Northeastern University, in the 100m, Joud Fahmy in judo, and Lubna Al-Omair in fencing. All were selected through wild cards. Attar finished second from last out of finishers in the marathon, Abuljadayel came seventh in her heat with a time of 14.02s and al-Omair lost in the first round. Fahmy pulled out of the judo before competing, in an apparent effort to avoid fighting Israeli competitor Gili Cohen, although this was denied by the Saudi delegation. The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee website did not name any of the women representing the Kingdom.


Basketball

In
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
in 2003 the first women’s basketball team in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
was formed by Lina Al-Maeena, co-founder of the Jeddah United Sporting Company, the first sports organization that sought to include the development of female athletes in 2006. Jeddah United provides an environment where males, females, children, and adults can all participate in sporting activities. Their goal is to embrace all Saudis to partake in physical activity through sports all around the country. the number of members enrolled was above 500. Jeddah United has also played a role in establishing similar organizations in
Khobar Khobar () is a city and List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. With a population of 409,549 ...
(Khobar United) and in the capital city
Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
(Riyadh United). Their long term goal is to produce top class athletes that can compete on a professional level throughout the country, and on the world stage.


Cricket

Informal cricket has been played by girls in international schools for a number of years, but the first official women's cricket match in Saudi Arabia was played in
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
in March 2020, with a mixture of Saudi nationals and expatriates from cricket-playing countries. Following the further liberalisation of women's sport, the Saudi Arabia women's national cricket team made its international debut at the 2022 GCC Women's Gulf Cup in Oman in March 2022. The squad reportedly had an average age of 15-16, with most players having only played the sport for a few months. The team suffered heavy defeats.


Football

The nonexistence of a women's national football team was a perennial issue between
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
and the Saudi Arabia Football Federation. FIFA changed their rules in 2012 to allow players to wear a hijab during FIFA-sanctioned matches, but Saudi authorities declined to comment. In 2018 the Saudi Arabia's Football Federation (SAFF) hired two women as members of its board. In 2022, the Saudi Arabia women's national football team made their international debut, defeating
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...
by a score of 2–0 in a
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
located in Malé,
Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
.


Running

In 2013, a running community was born in the City of
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
, Saudi Arabia. Jeddah Running Community (JRC) is the first mixed-gender running group in the kingdom. Initiated by a group of expats and locals, the group regularly runs in the streets of Jeddah. The movement also expanded to three other cities;
Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
(Riyadh Urban Runners),
Khobar Khobar () is a city and List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. With a population of 409,549 ...
(Khobar Running Krew), and Madina (Madina Runners). All four groups are combined under the YALLARUN organization. With the support of the organization, they were able to have several races and competitions locally. A branch from JRC became the Jeddah Running Community Women (JRCW) which is a group exclusively for women; the aim of the group is to start training beginners to be able to compete in 5 km races. The group was created to give a chance for women who want to participate but not in a mixed gender group. Since then more groups have formed, including Bliss Runners in Jeddah. Due to Islamic and Saudi law that women must wear a long black dress called an Abaya while in public, all women of the running community run the streets with sports outfits covered by a black dress. However, some women have begun wearing sports-friendly abayas which are gaining traction. In March 2018, the first female road race was held in Saudi Arabia with 1500 women taking part.


Motorsport

The first Saudi female race driver is Reema Juffali. In 2019, Juffali represented Saudi Arabia in the F4 British Championship at
Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts ...
.


See also

* Muslim women in sport ** Women and bicycling in Islam


References

{{reflist Sport in Saudi Arabia Women's rights in Saudi Arabia