Does the Kingdom Support Women's Sports?

Yes, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports women’s sports and works to enhance their right to sports, as women’s practice and participation in sports competitions have become integral to their empowerment. According to the Saudi national survey on physical and sports activity conducted by the Sports for All Federation in 2015, the weekly participation rate in sports was 20 percent for men and 7 percent for women over fifteen years old. This prompted the state to set a goal aimed at achieving a participation rate of 40 percent of the total population by 2030. The percentage of women participating weekly has increased threefold from 7 percent in 2015 to 24 percent in 2019.

The Saudi Ministry of Sport aims to support women’s sports and achieve the Kingdom’s vision through quality-of-life initiatives and others. The Kingdom decisions have promoted women’s participation in sports, including: the Council of Ministers’ decision to appoint the Undersecretary of the General President as the head of the Women’s Division of the General Authority of Sports previously in 2016, and the Supreme Order for the participation of women’s delegations in international conferences and forums, the decision to license women’s sports centers and clubs, the decision of the Minister of Education to include physical education class in girls’ schools starting from the 2017-2018 academic year, and the Supreme Order approving the opening of sports facilities for women to practice sports.

Saudi women have made significant strides in the field of sports, including: the allowance for women to enter sports stadiums since the beginning of 2018, the establishment of a women's sports committee by the Saudi Olympic Committee, the first-time participation of a women's sports delegation in the sixth Gulf Cooperation Council Women's Sports Championship, with over 2,400 female athletes from various federations in 2019. Additionally, more than a hundred qualified female coaches were provided through Saudi federations in various sports in 2019. Notably, the first Saudi ice hockey team, inclusive of a number of female members, was established in Jeddah in 2018. In 2023, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation launched a program aimed at supporting and developing women's teams within clubs engaged in the Women's Premier League and the Women's First Division League. Financial support totaling approximately SAR49,920,000 was allocated to this initiative.