London 2012: Saudi Arabia Will Send Women to London Olympics

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will send female athletes to the London Olympics later this month. That’s according to the International Olympic Committee. It would be the first time any Saudi woman ever participated in Olympic competition.

Lisa Mullins speaks with Minky Worden, Director for Global Initiatives with Human Rights Watch, to find out if this decision has a lasting impact on Saudi women.

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Lisa Mullins: Saudi Arabia is on the verge of taking a small, but significant, step. The kingdom will send female athletes to the London Olympics later this month. That’s according to the International Olympic Committee. It would be the first time that any Saudi woman ever took part in Olympic competition and it took months of heavy, international pressure to get Saudi Arabia to lift its ban on women in the Olympics. Minky Wardon director for Global Initiatives with Human Rights Watch. She monitors human rights issues and the Olympics. She says that two Saudi women are now planning to compete in London.

Wardon: The women who are representing the country will have berths in Judo and in Track and Field and we don’t know very much about them. They uh live and train outside of Saudi Arabia and that is because there’s an effective ban on women taking part in sports or training inside the country.

Mullins: So, wait a minute. If they lived in Saudi Arabia, they would not be competing in the Olympics and if they lived in Saudi Arabia they wouldn’t even be training in Judo and Cross Country?

Wardon: The two women who are representing the country have what are known as Universality Slots and these are positions that are created by the International Olympic Committee, because the Olympics are not just about winning gold medals. They’re also about representing your country. Remember, in 2008, Saudi Arabia sent an all male team. In 2012, in London, for the first time women will march behind the Saudi flag.

Mullins: So, how much of a gain would you say this is?

Wardon: It’s an important gain and it’s an important symbolic step. You know, the first step in a race you could say. However, inside the country as a matter of government policy, Saudi Arabia’s the only country in the world that bars girls from taking part in sport in schools. Uh. There are a hundred and fifty-three sports federations inside Saudi Arabia. Not one of them has a womens’ section. It is virtually impossible for women to compete at an international level in the country.

Mullins: And so are you convinced that this step, a small step as you say, um is really going to ultimately make a difference? Because there are a lot of exceptions to the rules here.

Wardon: Well, it’s it’s an important precident and it’s going to be nearly impossible for the Saudi government to roll back. The Saudi Ministry of Education has written to Human Rights Watch, when we put out our report on the topic, that it was “under consideration” for girls to be allowed to participate in physical education in schools. Now, this is the classic Saudi promise of reform that rarely materializes. But now, with the Olympic decision, the international community and the International Olympic Committee has the ability to turn up the heat on Saudi authorities to make them finally follow through on all of these pledges that girls could participate in sports. If the International Olympic Committee fails to do that, every four years there is going to be a crisis of whether or not Saudi Arabia will send an all male team.

Mullins: You mean, the male team could be in jeopardy if Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow a female team?

Wardon: Of course. In 1999, Afghanistan was banned in good part for restricting sports for women. So, this year could’ve and should’ve triggered a ban on Saudi Arabia taking part if they were trying to send a men only team.

Mullins: I mean, I know you say this is a game, but it sounds like the International Olympic Committee has been looking the other way? Or just ineffective?

Wardon: No. It’s it’s it’s better late than never? But it has been a big problem for a long time that the international sporting community was tolerating this type of discrimination. If you were going to close off sports for women, no one can participate. If you don’t play by the rules, then they can’t play at all.

Mullins: Minky Wardon monitors human rights issues and the Olympics at Human Rights Watch. You’re going to be looking specifically for these two Saudi women when the games roll around in two weeks?

Wardon: We’ll be cheering these women and hoping that one day millions of other women inside Saudi Arabia can also participate in sport.

Mullins: Alright, thank you. Minky Wardon.

Wardon: Thanks for taking up this important topic.

Mullins: For more on Saudi Arabia, check out our new Voices of Arabia page at theworld.org.

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