An Olympic Door Opens for Saudi Woman

Arwa Mutabagani, here with Saudi rider Faisal al-Shaalan in Hong Kong, is the first woman in a Saudi Olympic delegation. (Courtesy Of Arwa Mutabagani)

Saudi cleric Mohammad al-Munajid told the Saudi-owned Iqra channel this month that the revealing dress of women at the "Bikini," not Beijing, Olympics, was a source of pleasure to the devil. "What women are wearing in the Olympic Games are among the worst clothes possible. Women have never gotten naked for sports like they do in the Olympics."

The Saudi Shura Council, a government-appointed body that serves as a toothless parliament, has discussed the subject of women's sports several times, and, with few in favor and many against, has not come up with any resolutions.

"What's frustrating is that they discuss it like it's a luxury, a vanity. But the right to exercise is a basic right, it's a health issue," said activist Hatoon al-Fassi, an assistant professor of history at King Saud University. "Even in schools and universities, girls are obliged to wear skirts and not allowed to wear pants because they reveal women's curves."

The activists cited government statistics showing that more than two-thirds of Saudi women suffer from obesity and many are developing high blood pressure and diabetes.

Mutabagani, a single mother who has competed in many show-jumping events in Italy and is a qualified judge, said Saudi sports officials were considering appointing a woman to the board of each sports federation but were meeting resistance from the public.

At her first public event after her appointment, just one man out of more than 1,000 from Saudi Arabia's more than 35 sports federations congratulated her, she said. "People on the outside don't realize how difficult the position of Saudi sports officials is. They are going against a very conservative society, against generations and decades of one way of thinking. It has to be done gradually."

Mutabagani, who dreams of actually competing in the Olympics, said it was premature to predict whether Saudi women would participate in the 2012 London Games.

"Definitely they're trying to make an effort for women to participate," she said "I don't know if it will be that soon. I want to be optimistic, and I will do my best. But it takes two hands to clap."