Press Releases

WSFF call for Saudi Arabia to reconsider stance on sending women to 2012 Olympics

Responding to today’s reports that Saudi Arabia will not send any sportswomen to the 2012 London Olympics, Chief Executive of the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation Sue Tibballs said:

“Saudi Arabia’s current 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."

“If today’s reports are to be believed the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation would expect the IOC to defend the Olympic Charter and exclude Saudi Arabia from IOC membership and the London 2012 Olympic Games. There is precedent for this, Afghanistan were excluded from IOC in 1999 due to its discrimination of women under the Taliban and missed the Sydney 2000 Olympics as a result. The IOC needs to send a clear message to Saudi Arabia that they will not tolerate continued gender discrimination.”