Saudis won't bring women to Olympics

[sportsfanatic]

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/feb/26/olympic-outrage-saudi-women-athletes?newsfeed=true

The Olympics has a pledge on equality - why the hell can't the International Olympic Committee stand up for what it pledges to believe? Either countries should field male and female teams or they should be banned.

Love (not) the line in the article where it reports that women were once allowed to compete in a marathon in Saudi - as long as they wore abayas. FFS!

They shouldn't be bloody going then .

I'm up for a letter or two or three.

As the Vatican doesn't send any team at all, it's not really a valid comparison.

It is the IOC which needs to take a stand on this - host countries have to host what the IOC endorses, so on that level the UK hands are tied. But individual countries can protest or boycott, so that might be a way ahead.

Not every country however sends teams for every sport (eg British gymnasts have just missed out) and Saudi women's teams might not have made the qualifying standards. That is something which, as pointed out above, can only be solved by action in the country. But if they are actually banned by policy from even beginning to participate by seeking to qualify, then that is wrong and should disqualify the whole nation.

from the article - 'The International Olympic Committee reserves a limited number of places for male and female athletes who are not required to meet the qualifying standards in swimming and athletics events.'

Presumably that is for exactly that reason, to help get countries involved who don't have a tradition of sport.

It appears to be a deliberate policy decision.

The Guardian report states: 'The International Olympic Committee reserves a limited number of places for male and female athletes who are not required to meet the qualifying standards in swimming and athletics events. However, despite this concession, Saudi Arabia has never sponsored a female team and its national Olympic committee does not have a women's section.'

X-post Tunip.

" If these womens groups and politicians cared about Saudi women so much then there would be assistance rather than lip service."

Not seeing why you put women's groups and politicians in the same bracket. Most politicians are men who don't give a shit about women's human rights.

"Its not the government but the people themselves who decide their local schools curriculum."

I think you'll find it's not all the people, and a certain half of the people are automatically excluded from any decision-making about anything, not just schools curricula, because they have the wrong genitalia for decision-making.

Tunip is correct - the IOC makes special slots available for countries where no one meets qualifying standards.

www.hrw.org/news/2012/02/15/iocsaudi-arabia-end-ban-women-sport

I think the above answers your query Edith.

As actually did the original article I linked, where woman were allowed to take part in a marathon as long as they wore an abaya. Like you are really going to post a good time running 26 miles in bloody abaya. Might as well have nailed one foot to the floor. Bastards.

And if anyone thinks Saudi women are not trying to change things try this link

nanyang.academia.edu/JamesMDorsey/Papers/836698/Saudi_women_campaign_for_recognition_of_right_to_play_soccer

Unfortunately though the leader is still having to creep and grovel to the country's dinosaur males to try and make a modest beginning e.g. "Everything of course will be according to religious rules, modesty and accepted social customs in the kingdom."

And how about this for the views of forward thinking male clerics.."Some clerics condemn women?s sports as corrupting and satanic and charge that it spreads decadence. They warn that running and jumping can damage a woman's hymen and ruin her chances of getting married."

To which I can only wonder what sort of woman would want to go within a mile of disgusting men like that?

And the allusion to the ancient Games is a tad eccentric.

" Its a colonialist and idiotic attitude that tells other countries how to run themselves when we have women rights issues ourselves. "

It's a patriarchal and idiotic attitude that tells women that male oppressive culture has to be respected because we don't happen to live in the country where one form of male oppression, slightly different in expression to that of male oppression here, is carried on.

Feminists reserve the right to have contempt for all oppression of women, wherever it takes place. But aren't surprised to find men telling us not to be colonialist because we have women's rights issues ourselves, by men who presumably aren't deep in struggle to solve those women's rights issues.

jshm2 wrote - "Vatican City is considered a country, but the Pope doesn't send a contingent to the Olympics either."

I think Vatican City is not considered a country by the International Olympic Committee.

The Vatican City 4x100m relay team would not actually be selected by the Pope, surely? Would that really be an ecumencial matter?

A team of cardinals in the rhythm gymnastics, with lots of lovely ribbons and balls, that would be grand.

And of course Vatican city doesn't send women OR men so jshm2's example is irrelevant.

Saudi is happy to send men to the Olympics - it's just the sub-human part of their population aka women - who don't get the chance.

Someone on this thread has posted something very offensive on another thread and engagement is not advised

Would that really be an ecumencial matter?

PMSL.

The cardinals in the rhythmic gymnastics would of course compete in full ecclesiastical garb.

Oh I now have a vision of Bishop Brennan et al running in their vestments

And elbowing other contestants out of the way

Exactly, Sardine. Taking the piss is much better.

Fuck I spelled ecumenical wrong.

The cardinals of course would be resplendent in their crimson cassocks, in the rhythym method gymnastics.

I'm told the Swiss Guard put up an excellent shooting team in the inter-faith festival of carnage last year.

and the nuns would be in the beach volleyball, in their habits but with knee-length skirts.

Culottes might be more practical for the nuns?

I picture nuns in kendo competitions. Is that an Olympic sport?

It would appear not - although might meet the apparent minimum dress requirements for Saudi women?

Im going to scream. I linked that article to fb ( i know know) and all i got was "but what do you expect its cultural" and "well what do you expect them to do ? Its not the olympics s fault"

Is there any point in fightng this ?

I think showing solidarity with women in Saudi who are living with this is important.
For me that is one of the big purposes of all kinds of demos: people who are affected know that they are not forgotten.

Yes true. But sometimes. People are so...
I mean i just got told women their dont play sport cos its a non issue. And why might that be i wonder ? Because they are treated badly and disriminated against...just maybe.
I feel so sorry for the women there and yet the average person doesnt seem to care.

Cultural relativism has a lot to answer for.
The saddest thing is how the 'getting involved in other countries is colonial!' argument gets seized upon by people who frankly don't give a shit about colonialism, they just like the sound of it as a way to shut people up who are telling them something they feel uncomfortable hearing.

What do I expect? Good question. I expect the British Government to be very clear in its - our - condemnation of the Saudis over this.