Jeddah: The head of the Saudi Olympic Committee has ruled out sending women athletes from the kingdom to the London Olympics this summer, local dailies reported yesterday.
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 Sharia".
"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 Arabia will be fielding only men athletes in London.
But his stance is in contrast to Saudi Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz's reported position. The London-based Al Hayat newspaper last month said Nayef had approved the participation of women at the London Olympics in sports that "meet the standards of women's decency and don't contradict Islamic laws."
Equestrian contestant Dalma Malhas, 18, is likely to be Saudi Arabia's only woman athlete at this Olympics, according to media reports.
Dalma won a bronze medal at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics without having been nominated by her country, following an invitation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
