Saudi Arabia allows women to participate in the Olympics

According to BBC news, Saudi Arabia will allow women to participate in the Olympic games for the first time.

This decision will eliminate recent rumors that the Saudi team would not be able to participate in the Olympics all together due to sexism.

However, the country’s Olympic committee will still be overseeing the participation of women’s athletes who can qualify.

With only a few weeks away, Saudi officials say that the only female athlete that they feel meets Olympic standards is showjumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas.

Many Saudi religious groups are outwardly against the participation of women in sports as there is almost no public tradition of women’s involvement in sports in their country.

However, compromises will be made in order to preserve the countries dignity. Modest, lose fitting garments and sports hijabs will most likely be worn in order to cover the hair, but not the face.

This is a huge step for Saudi Arabia as it is upending the years of opposition women have faced in order to gain attention in the popular public.

Although it was thought that since April, Saudi rulers had decided to maintain the ban on allowing women to take part in the Olympics.

However, it has been said that for the past six weeks, discussions have led King Abdullah to push for women’s participation. By doing so, he believes it will allow women to play a more active role in the Saudi Arabian society.