Adel Al-Najjar
JEDDAH — Saudi sports enthusiasts welcomed the appointment of Princess Reema Bint Bandar as the vice president of the women’s section of the General Authority for Sports.
The Council of Ministers on Monday approved her appointment to the post with rank 15.
Having Princess Reema as the vice president is a very good move for women’s sports in the Kingdom, said Al-Ahli Football Club Ambassador Nouf Omar.
“Now we can have our own space to practice sports without compromising our values and morals. We have the right to practice sports as men do,” she said.
Sports activist Majeedah Al-Shibani said: “We are looking forward to decisions in our favor. Saudi women are highly qualified to represent the Kingdom in sports just as we have represented the Kingdom in every other field.”
Sports activist Ahlam Digny said Princess Reema’s appointment will allow the General Authority for Sports to come up with practical and effective solutions to obstacles facing women’s sports in the Kingdom.
Princess Reema, an entrepreneur, social activist, former CEO, has been a beacon of hope for the women in her country for decades. Born in Riyadh, Reema spent much of her childhood in the US where her father was the Saudi ambassador for 22 years. She earned a degree in Museum Studies from George Washington University.
As a woman activist, she brought together thousands of women in Riyadh in 2015 to spread awareness about breast cancer.
“I didn’t grow up with the mental barriers of ‘I can’t’ or ‘I shouldn’t’… (so) you appear to be daring when you’re just doing what you should,” she said in one of her interviews. “If someone says stop, then you stop. So far, nobody has said stop.”
Four years ago, two female Saudi athletes, Sarah Attar and Wojdan Shahrkhani, were the first Saudi women to compete in the Olympics.
Fortunately, it didn’t stop there. Progress has been slow but it seems to be there. A concrete action in this regard is the appointment of Princess Reema.
This year, four Saudi women will compete in the Rio Olympics – Sarah Attar and Cariman Abu Al-Jadail (track and field), Wujud Fahmi (Judoka) and Lubna Al-Omair (fencer).
