Saudi Arabia rules out sending women athletes to London

[Playinghardball]

The head of the Saudi Olympic Committee has ruled out sending women athletes from the ultra-conservative kingdom to the London Olympics this summer, local dailies reported on Thursday.

Prince Nawaf bin Faisal said, however, that Saudi women taking part on their own are free to do so and the kingdom’s Olympic authority would “only help in ensuring that their participation does not violate the Islamic sharia law.”

“We are not endorsing any Saudi female participation at the moment in the Olympics or other international championships,” he told a press conference in Jeddah on Wednesday.

The Saudi official was reiterating a position he announced late last year, confirming that Saudi Arabiawill be fielding only male athletes in London.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/05/saudi-rules-out-sending-women-athletes-to-london/

[Marrah_G]

1. Yet our government treats them like they are BFFs.

Very, very sad. The Olympics should ban countries who discriminate against women.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. why is the US so friendly to Saudi?

[davidthegnome]

4. Oil

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. we could ditch them and buy more from Canada

[meow2u3]

3. The IOC ought to ban Saudi Arabia from participating in the Olympics

as well as other countries that practice gender apartheid, to teach them a lesson and send the message that sexism will not be tolerated in the 21st century. If the IOC could ban South Africa because of de jure racism, why can't they be consistent and punish nations for official sexism?

In other words, if you won't allow women, we won't let your men in either. That's what they should do.

[FSogol]

7. Good idea. n/t

[Ikonoklast]

8. There's a thought.

You want to discriminate against certain citizens of your country based on religious principals?

OK, you can ALL stay home then.

[Blue_Tires]

13. You're assuming the IOC aren't a bunch of shameless money-grabbing sycophantic whores

[Iggo]

5. Our glorious allies!

( )

[hifiguy]

6. Saudi Arabia is the anus mundi. nt

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

9. "Saudi Arabia: Our Partners in Peace"

[demosincebirth]

10. Which other Muslim country is sending female athletes to compete?

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. Iran wanted to send a female football team, but their headwear was ruled 'religious' by FIFA

which seems a bit unfair to me:

Iran's dream of competing in the London 2012 Olympic women's football tournament have been crushed by an unexpected ruling that their Islamic dress broke Fifa rules, said a football federation official in Tehran.

Iran is complaining to the world ruling body after its women were banned from playing, moments before an Olympic qualifier against Jordan last week, due to their full-body strip that includes a head scarf.
...
However Fifa says it had warned the side about dress codes: "Fifa's decision in March 2010 which permitted that players be allowed to wear a cap that covers their head to the hairline, but does not extend below the ears to cover the neck, was still applicable.

"Despite initial assurances that the Iranian delegation understood this, the players came out wearing the hijab, and the head and neck totally covered, which was an infringement of the Laws of the Game. The match commissioner and match referee therefore decided to apply correctly the Laws of the Game, which ended in the match being abandoned."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jun/06/iran-women-olympic-strip

You might say it was a ban on hoodies ...

[demosincebirth]

18. If you want to play a game, you have to abide by the rules. Don't you think?

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. I can still call the rules unfair

I fail to see why covering the neck is a problem. I think sexual equality would be better advanced by getting Iran to be OK with a female team competing in western countries than by deciding that a uniform that makes them look like speedskaters is too religious.

Anyway, to answer your question, it looks as though just about every Islamic country of any size is sending some female competitors among its team (they have to qualify, of course). You can check lists of teams so far here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Nations_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics

[KansDem]

11. Hmmm...they didn't mind sending 15 of their citizens to crash planes into the WTC

Why would sending women to the Olympics be taboo?

[Fumesucker]

12. To be fair..

Those 15 Saudis were male..

[KansDem]

15. Ah, yes, of course!

That explains it!

[Tom Ripley]

14. THAT kingdom of barbarians is the real cancer in the mideast