Breaking earlier barriers, Saudi Arabia has decided to allow women to enter the stadiums in three major cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam from 2018. Chairman of the General Sports Authority in the country, Turki Al-Asheikh made the announcement and also appointed Princess Reema bint Bandar as the president of Saudi Federation for Community Sports in October. Following the appointment, Princess Reema opened a new Studio 5 gym in Jeddah with the objective to encourage women to take exercise as part of their daily health routine.Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is leading a major drive to modernize Saudi society’s future by building a $500 billion mega-city, 33 times the size of New York City. Part of bin Salman’s ambitious plans for the country’s future is aimed at making women an integral part of the country’s development process. Despite the gradual changes, women still face severe restrictions in the country. Many women in the kingdom have recently launched an online campaign, seeking an end to male guardianship. Currently, women must be accompanied by or receive written permission from a male guardian if they want to travel, work or access healthcare.
Source: BBC, RT and IB Times