Saudi Arabia To Allow Women Into Sports Stadiums From Next Year

Saudi Arabia will allow women into sports stadiums for the first time from next year, authorities said Sunday, in a "landmark move opening up three previously male-only venues to families," according to the AFP. The "ultra-conservative" kingdom, which has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women, has "long barred women from sports arenas by strict rules on segregation of the sexes in public." The announcement is in line with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "ambitious reforms shaking up the kingdom, including the historic decision to allow women to drive from next June." Last month, hundreds of women were allowed to enter a sports stadium in Riyadh, used mostly for football matches, "in a one-off event to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s national day." Sunday’s announcement implies that women in Saudi Arabia "will be allowed for the first time to attend sporting events inside stadiums alongside men" (AFP, 10/29).