The Olympics are here, bringing with them sports you’ve never heard of and an opening ceremony that felt more like a seminar on environmentalism than a sports-based-party.
As the teams of athletes were led into the Maracanã, they were preceded by a tricycle bearing the name of their country.
As many people noticed, this meant that the team for Saudi Arabia was rather awkwardly following the lead of a woman driver.
In 2013, Saudi religious authorities decreed that women would be allowed to cycle, but only in parks and other “recreational areas” and accompanied by a male relative.
Which isn’t exactly in the liberating Olympic spirit, is it?
Women were only first allowed to compete for Saudi Arabia at the 2012 Olympic games in London.
There, two women took part, judoka Wojdan Shaherkani and 800m runner Sarah Attar.
At this games, four of the twelve competitors for Saudi Arabia are women.
They are 100m runner Kariman Abuljadayel, marathon runner Sarah Attar, fencer Lubna Al-Omair, and judoka Wujud Fahmi.
Courtesy: Independent
