Women and Sports in Saudi Arabia
I have always been passionate about sports, and after traveling abroad, I realized both how much I take Title IX in the US for granted and how women in some countries are still fighting for their rights to play sports. I also believe that sports have an enormous ability to foster respect between men and women and help women in their fight for equality. I have thus become very interested in researching about female sports in other countries, which is what prompted me to write this post.
Since Saudi women's rights are typically more limited than the rights of women in other countries (like the US), I wanted to learn how Saudi women are facing the restrictions against them to fight for the ability and support to play sports. Recently, there has been progress in Saudi women's rights in the sports world. In October 2017, the Saudi government finally allowed women to attend football (soccer) matches in the country. While this might not seem as important as giving them right to drive, it is a huge step forward for their rights in sports. It was the start of the government allowing women to become more involved in the sports world. In the past couple of years, many Saudi women have begun to found sports teams or clubs for women. For example, the United Eagles (which currently includes 21 women) founded their team in 2016, and through hard work and determination (like raising money for their equipment, practicing in the heat, etc.), they have managed to participate in two official regional tournaments. Another huge step was when the Saudi government reversed a longstanding ban in 2017; the reversal allowed girls to finally be able to participate in sports/PE in public schools. From what I have read, it seems like many of the governmental changes listed above are due to the Saudi government's Vision 2030, which is their plan for economic and developmental change they want to occur by 2030. I am glad that this plan seems to be helping women's participation in sports, and I hope it continues to do so.
Some articles to read if interested:
https://www.abouther.com/node/12566/people/features/how-saudi-arabian-women%E2%80%99s-football-team-changing-game
http://www.arabnews.com/tags/saudi-women-sports
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/13/saudi-arabia-state-schools-allow-girls-sports
https://money.cnn.com/video/news/economy/2017/05/10/saudi-arabia-women-athletes-sports-raha-moharrak.cnnmoney/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZN-Fpw3j9I
https://gulfnews.com/sport/uae-sport/saudi-arabia-to-take-part-in-arab-women-sports-1.2145801
https://www.expatwoman.com/saudi-arabia/guide/female-sport-scene-taking-in-saudi-arabia
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-saudi-women-sports-20170711-story.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB0rxjRD0vA
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| Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/13/saudi-arabia-state-schools-allow-girls-sports |
Since Saudi women's rights are typically more limited than the rights of women in other countries (like the US), I wanted to learn how Saudi women are facing the restrictions against them to fight for the ability and support to play sports. Recently, there has been progress in Saudi women's rights in the sports world. In October 2017, the Saudi government finally allowed women to attend football (soccer) matches in the country. While this might not seem as important as giving them right to drive, it is a huge step forward for their rights in sports. It was the start of the government allowing women to become more involved in the sports world. In the past couple of years, many Saudi women have begun to found sports teams or clubs for women. For example, the United Eagles (which currently includes 21 women) founded their team in 2016, and through hard work and determination (like raising money for their equipment, practicing in the heat, etc.), they have managed to participate in two official regional tournaments. Another huge step was when the Saudi government reversed a longstanding ban in 2017; the reversal allowed girls to finally be able to participate in sports/PE in public schools. From what I have read, it seems like many of the governmental changes listed above are due to the Saudi government's Vision 2030, which is their plan for economic and developmental change they want to occur by 2030. I am glad that this plan seems to be helping women's participation in sports, and I hope it continues to do so.
Some articles to read if interested:
https://www.abouther.com/node/12566/people/features/how-saudi-arabian-women%E2%80%99s-football-team-changing-game
http://www.arabnews.com/tags/saudi-women-sports
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/13/saudi-arabia-state-schools-allow-girls-sports
https://money.cnn.com/video/news/economy/2017/05/10/saudi-arabia-women-athletes-sports-raha-moharrak.cnnmoney/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZN-Fpw3j9I
https://gulfnews.com/sport/uae-sport/saudi-arabia-to-take-part-in-arab-women-sports-1.2145801
https://www.expatwoman.com/saudi-arabia/guide/female-sport-scene-taking-in-saudi-arabia
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-saudi-women-sports-20170711-story.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB0rxjRD0vA
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