Saudi women cheer access to sports stadiums

BEIRUT: Women in Saudi Arabia welcomed the announcement that from next year they will be allowed to watch sporting events in previously all-male stadiums for the first time.

The move is the latest in a series of reforms in the deeply conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom that last month granted women the right to drive.

A statement from the General Sports Authority, carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency late on Sunday, said three stadiums in the major cities of Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh were being prepared to accommodate families in 2018.

“It means something for me. It is not only because of watching sports – we have gained some of our rights now,” said Sarah Alhelal, a fitness instructor in the city of Khobar.

The 29-year-old said she was a “big time” sports fan and thrilled at the chance to watch her favourite teams live – something she believes will encourage more young women to get involved in sports.

“It pushes other girls to do what I couldn’t do,” she said.

Saudi Arabia is well known as one of the world’s most gender-segregated nations.

The announcement comes amid changes for women in Saudi hailed as a new progressive trend, including the right to drive and more opportunities in the workplace.

This month US-raised Princess Reema bint Bandar became the first female president of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports that manages both men’s and women’s sports activities.