Women's sport in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi 2012 Summer Olympics team included female athletes for the first time ever, and they sent female athletes again in 2016. 2012 Summer Olympics in London Saudi Arabia sending women to compete in the Olympics in 2012 was listed at number two in Cambridge News' top nine milestones for women in sports. Sarah Attar, an American born dual US-Saudi citizen, participated in women's track finishing last in the competition, while Wojdan Shaherkani was defeated in her Judo competition in under two minutes. Despite the losses, being the first women to represent their country in the Olympics is considered an overall success for the participants, and Attar received a standing ovation as she pursued the finish line from the audience in London. She reports seeing positive changes during her visits to Saudi Arabia as a result of her participation, with female students becoming more interested in sport. Saudi scholar Ali al-Ahmed said that "their presence has allowed Saudi Arabia to escape criticism". in the 100m, Joud Fahmy in judo, and Lubna Al-Omair in fencing. and al-Omair lost in the first round. Fahmy pulled out of the judo before competing, in an apparent effort to avoid fighting Israeli competitor Gili Cohen, although this was denied by the Saudi delegation. The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee website did not name any of the women representing the Kingdom. ==Basketball==

In Jeddah in 2003 the first women’s basketball team in Saudi Arabia was formed by Lina Al-Maeena, co-founder of the Jeddah United Sporting Company, the first sports organization that sought to include the development of female athletes in 2006. Jeddah United provides an environment where males, females, children, and adults can all participate in sporting activities. Their goal is to embrace all Saudis to partake in physical activity through sports all around the country. the number of members enrolled was above 500. Jeddah United has also played a role in establishing similar organizations in Khobar (Khobar United) and in the capital city Riyadh (Riyadh United). Their long term goal is to produce top class athletes that can compete on a professional level throughout the country, and on the world stage. ==Cricket==

Informal cricket has been played by girls in international schools for a number of years, but the first official women's cricket match in Saudi Arabia was played in Jeddah in March 2020, with a mixture of Saudi nationals and expatriates from cricket-playing countries. Following the further liberalisation of women's sport, the Saudi Arabia women's national cricket team made its international debut at the 2022 GCC Women's Gulf Cup in Oman in March 2022. The squad reportedly had an average age of 15-16, with most players having only played the sport for a few months. The team suffered heavy defeats. ==Football==

The nonexistence of a women's national football team was a perennial issue between FIFA and the Saudi Arabia Football Federation. FIFA changed their rules in 2012 to allow players to wear a hijab during FIFA-sanctioned matches, but Saudi authorities declined to comment. In 2018 the Saudi Arabia's Football Federation (SAFF) hired two women as members of its board. In 2022, the Saudi Arabia women's national football team made their international debut, defeating Seychelles by a score of 2–0 in a friendly match located in Malé, Maldives. == Running ==

In 2013, a running community was born in the City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Jeddah Running Community (JRC) is the first mixed-gender running group in the kingdom. Initiated by a group of expats and locals, the group regularly runs in the streets of Jeddah. The movement also expanded to three other cities; Riyadh (Riyadh Urban Runners), Khobar (Khobar Running Krew), and Madina (Madina Runners). All four groups are combined under the YALLARUN organization. With the support of the organization, they were able to have several races and competitions locally. A branch from JRC became the Jeddah Running Community Women (JRCW) which is a group exclusively for women; the aim of the group is to start training beginners to be able to compete in 5 km races. The group was created to give a chance for women who want to participate but not in a mixed gender group. Since then more groups have formed, including Bliss Runners in Jeddah. Due to Islamic and Saudi law that women must wear a long black dress called an Abaya while in public, all women of the running community run the streets with sports outfits covered by a black dress. However, some women have begun wearing sports-friendly abayas which are gaining traction. In March 2018, the first female road race was held in Saudi Arabia with 1500 women taking part. == Motorsport ==

The first Saudi female race driver is Reema Juffali. In 2019, Juffali represented Saudi Arabia in the F4 British Championship at Brands Hatch. ==See also==