In 2018, Saudi Arabian teenagers made badminton history for the Kingdom by debuting inthe Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Bintaro, Jakarta, and that same month two women from the Kingdom, Rana Abu Harbesh, 22, and Shatha Al-Mutairi, 23, made it to the Asian Games also in Jakarta, no doubt inspiring other women across the country to pursue a career in sports.
This month, Abu Harbesh, one of the two who headed to Jakarta last year has joined three other women, Shaza Saleh, Shahd Al-Muhaysheer, and Aziza Nazmi, for the Egyptian International Badminton Championship, being held in Cairo until October 22. According to Saudi Gazette, the four athletes underwent rigorous training in their camp at a sports facility in Riyadh’s Leadership Development Institute in Riyadh before heading to the competition.
Speaking to the news site, the President of the Saudi Badminton Federation confirmed that the Cairo tournament will also see the participation of Saudi referees Hatoun Al-Sadhan and Muhammad Basoudan, making this year’s edition the fourth time they have participated in the tournament.
Over the last two years, Saudi Arabia has been focusing on shaping a more inclusive environment for girls and women in sports, by first and foremost assigning Princess Reema Bint Bandar as head of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports (SFCS), making her the first woman in the Kingdom to take on such an important role.
The country has also shifted towards strongly encouraging women to take up sports, through supporting various initiatives. For instance, in 2018, Saudi Arabia hosted its first-ever 10-kilometer cycling race for women, which took place in the Red Sea city of Jeddah and saw 30 female cyclists compete as part of the “Be Active” initiative, as well as a women-only run that same year, garnering support from across the Kingdom.
