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The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) has today launched an online petition urging the IOC to ban Saudi Arabia from London 2012

In launching the petition, WSFF CEO Sue Tibballs said “We want as many people as possible to sign this petition and send a clear signal to the IOC that Saudi Arabia should be excluded from the Games unless they reverse their ban on women representing their country at the Olympics”.

“In Britain and around the world, women and girls participate less in sport than men and boys. London 2012 is a real opportunity to showcase women’s sport and to start to redress that balance, however our ability to inspire women and girls will be damaged, and the Games will be tarnished, if the IOC decides to tolerate this discrimination.”

To sign the petition go to;

www.change.org/petitions/the-international-olympic-committee-ban-saudi-arabia-from-london-2012

Or

http://tinyurl.com/cy7v8n8

Notes to editors

1. WSFF is the UK charity that campaigns to raise awareness of women's sport and make physical activity an everyday part of life for women and girls

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact the WSFF press office on 07900 195 538 

2. The text of the petition letter on Change.org is as follows

Ban Saudi Arabia from London 2012

Saudi Arabia is one of three countries in the world that has never sent a woman to the Olympic Games. The other two, Brunei and Qatar, have indicated that they will send women to the London Olympics later this year. However Saudi Arabia has announced that once again, it plans to send an all-male team.  

This refusal to send sportswomen to the Olympics puts them directly at odds with one of the IOC’s Fundamental Principles as laid out within the Olympic Charter. It reads that "any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, sex or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."1

Comments from the President of Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee that he "does not endorse female participation of Saudi Arabia at the present time in the Olympics” (4th April 2012) demonstrates once again their refusal to end their discrimination.

While most indications are that this refusal stems from the Saudi Arabian interpretation of Islamic law, there have been some reports suggesting that it is due to there being no women who meet the required Olympic Qualification Standard in any discipline. If this is the case, the IOC's Principle of Universality means that Saudi Arabia are able to send a non-qualified woman to compete in certain sports (such as athletics) if they wish to do so. We recommend that this opportunity is taken if it's necessary for 2012, and that Saudi Arabia invest in their sporting infrastructure for women to ensure that by 2016 they have women who are meeting the qualification standards in a number of sports.

In the UK, 80% of women are not active enough to benefit their health and girls leave school only half as likely to reach recommended activity levels as boys. The gender gap around the world is even worse. London 2012 is an incredible opportunity to change these stats and inspire women and girls to play more sport and be active. But the opportunity will be severely tarnished if the IOC decides to tolerate this blatant discrimination.

Therefore unless Saudi Arabia reverses its decision, the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation calls for the IOC to ban them from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

1 http://www.olympic.org/Documents/olympic_charter_en.pdf

To add a petition widget to your website or blog, please use the following code:

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