Saudi Arabian female athletes will now get the chance to compete in the 2012 London Olympics for the first time ever. The Islamic Kingdom's London embassy made the announcement on Sunday.
Human rights groups initially had the International Olympic Committee ban Saudi Arabia from competing in London, stressing that they had never sent female athletes to the Olympics. They also referenced that the country restricts sports in girls' state schools.
Muslim clerics have continuously restricted female participation in sports.
The female role as a whole is placed below that of males' in Saudi Arabia, as women have a lower legal status compared to men. Women cannot drive and must be granted male permission to hold a job, travel, or have a personal bank account.
However, under King Abdullah's rule, the government is slowly bettering education and work opportunities for women and will even allow them voting rights in future elections.
"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is looking forward to its complete participation in the London 2012 Olympic Games through the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, which will oversee the participation of women athletes who can qualify for the games," said a statement published on the embassy website.
This past April, the head of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, responsible for all sports affairs in Saudi Arabia, said the organization would not bar women from competing in the Olympics, but that the government would not endorse the act either.
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