Saudi Arabia hosts first race for women
1,500 runners, many in traditional Islamic attire, take part in 3-kilometer run as part of kingdom’s modernization drive
Saudi Arabia hosted its first three-kilometer (two-mile) race for women over the weekend, local media said, as the conservative kingdom seeks to boost female sports in a far-reaching modernization drive.
Some 1,500 women runners, many of them dressed in traditional Islamic attire, raced in eastern Al-Ahsa region on Saturday.
“The aim of the marathon is to promote running and introduce the concept of sports for all, for a healthier way of life,” Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya News quoted the marathon’s supervisor, Malek al-Mousa, as saying.
The event came after Riyadh hosted its first international half-marathon in late February, which prompted complaints from some Saudis on social media about the notable absence of women.
VIDEO: ‘Al-Ahsa Runs,’ first marathon for women in #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/eFWmjvZcQb
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) March 4, 2018
Sports authorities are set to organize another run for women in the holy city of Mecca on April 6, pro-government Okaz newspaper reported.
Long known for its ultra-conservative mores, the kingdom has embarked on a wide-ranging program of social reforms that includes allowing women to drive from June.
The kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority last month said it will stage more than 5,000 festivals and concerts in 2018, double the number of last year, and pump $64 billion in the sector over the coming decade.
But some Saudis have complained on social media of what they called wasteful spending as the kingdom reels from slumping oil revenues, high inflation and unemployment.
The Times of Israel Community.