TAIF — As many as 1,127 female students at Taif University have registered for sports programs that the university has recently introduced. The students represent only about 3 percent of a total of 36,097 female students on the roll.

A university statement said 877 girl students registered for karate training while 104 have opted to join football coaching, 14 lawn tennis and 132 basketball.

The statement said as many as 550 girls students have chosen to join the nutrition program, 360 the diet program and 320 physiotherapy training.

Amal Ashour, undersecretary of the deanship of students› affairs, said the girls hastened to join these activities after the university introduced sports as part of the curriculum.

She said the students should bring their own sports wear to enable them to comfortably practice soccer, basketball, volleyball and other sporting activities.

Ashour said the sport programs for female students are aimed at encouraging and nurturing sporting talent, establish individual and group teams to participate in various competitions. She said the deanship will organize competitions in racing, chess, football, handball, table tennis, lawn tennis, billiards and others.

Ashour said the university has five soccer and six basketball teams consisting of female students from various colleges. — SG