FACTS

Women's Lives
Saudi Arabia has one of the worst records of respecting and protecting women's rights. Under the
government’s male guardianship system, women cannot work, study, marry or access health care without the permission of a male guardian – a father, husband, or even a son.

Sports in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, physical education for girls in state-run schools is not offered, and only men may belong to sports clubs or work with expert trainers. In fact, government restrictions on women essentially bar them from all sports.

The Olympic Charter
But denying women the chance to compete stands in stark contrast to the human rights principles of the Olympic Charter, which states: “The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit.”

A Step, But Not Enough
In response to comments by the International Olympic Committee, last year Saudi Arabia said it would not oppose a Saudi woman competing in the London 2012 Olympics – but it would not invite her as part of their official team.

WHAT WE WANT

We Want Saudi Arabia to Go Further

Saudi Arabia should adopt new policies that will create real, systemic change to benefit all Saudi women and girls, including:

• Establishing a timeline and benchmarks for introducing physical education as a mandatory subject for girls in public and private schools.

• Allowing the creation of women’s gyms and sports clubs.

• Creating women’s sections in the sports ministry (General Presidency for Youth Welfare) and the National Olympic Committee.

The International Olympic Committee Can Help

We are asking the International Olympic Committee to uphold the values of the Olympic Charter and condition Saudi Arabia’s participation in the London 2012 Olympics on the country taking steps to end discrimination against women in sports.