Hussain Al-Sharif
JEDDAH — Women’s sports will be allowed in the Kingdom according to Shariah law, Saudi Olympic Committee Executive Director Hussam Al-Qurashi has announced.
“Women have the right to exercise and participate in sports, because a healthy mother raises healthy children. But the Saudi Olympic Committee will not do anything against the decorum of Saudi society and the instructions of the Council of Senior Scholars. The committee believes in the principles of Shariah,” said Al-Qurashi.
“We support women’s sports as instructed by our Islamic teachings. We will not hold a sports event for women without proper licensing and without ensuring that the event conforms to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an,” he said.
Al-Qurashi said that there is an Islamic committee monitoring the decisions of the Saudi Olympic Committee to ensure that it follows Islamic teachings.
“We will be monitoring all women’s sports events to ensure that they follow Islamic principles. We are looking into allowing sports events for women. We had women participate in the Olympics, but they adhered to Islamic regulations,” said Al-Qurashi.
He, however, admitted that there were no women’s sports clubs for competitive purposes.
“Women are not yet allowed to compete in sports. But they are allowed to participate in sports,” said Al-Qurashi.
The Saudi Olympic Committee has allowed four Saudi female athletes to take part in the Rio Olympics. They are: Sara Al-Attar, Lubna Al-Omair, Cariman Abu Al-Jadail and Wujud Fahmi.
The announcements of the names of the male and female team members were made separately. The four women will be given wildcard entries so they can compete without meeting formal qualification standards.
Saudi Arabia entered two women under a similar arrangement for the 2012 Olympics in London.
