RIYADH: British Ambassador Sir Tom Phillips said that he had spoken to Saudi officials about the possibility of a Saudi woman competing in the Olympics for the first time in London this summer and hoped it would happen even though Riyadh's official team will be all male.
"I very much hope that we shall see Saudi women athletes this summer," Phillips told a news conference organized on the sidelines of a reception hosted in honor of the Saudi Paralympic team in Riyadh Wednesday night.
On behalf of the UK, the British Embassy honored the Saudi Paralympic team selected for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games at the colorful reception. Phillips said the reception also marks the journey of the Olympic torch, which will reach the UK, the venue for the next Games, on May 18. The occasion also coincides with the seven successful years of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s reign, he noted.
The reception was attended by Saudi sports officials, several diplomats, and four Saudi athletes selected for the London 2012 Paralympic games. Prominent people who attended the reception include Roddy Drummond, deputy chief of the mission at the British Embassy, Kamran Siddiqui, Visa’s general manager for Middle East, Kazakh Ambassador Bakhtiyar S. Tassymov, and Irfan Said, corporate finance head of Sambacapital.
Visa International, which sponsored the reception for Saudi athletes and guests, was represented by several top executives including Ahmed Gaber, Visa country manager; Tariq Judeh, business development manager, and Rod Aquino, senior administrative assistant. Saba Said, a British embassy official responsible for events and media affairs, was at hand to welcome guests.
Addressing the press conference, Phillips said the British government believed Saudi women should be allowed to participate in the London games. It has been reported that an independent athlete would be invited by the International Olympic Committee and compete for Saudi Arabia but without formal Saudi endorsement or membership of the team. Dalma Malhas, an equestrian Saudi female athlete who also participated for Saudi Arabia in the junior Olympics in 2010 in her own private capacity, could compete.
Referring to the Saudi participation, the envoy said four of the Paralympic athletes who have qualified to compete deserve honor and appreciations. One of them was Ossemah Masoud Alshinqiti, competing in the triple jump and one of the top contenders for the Games from Saudi Arabia. He won the gold medal for triple jump in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing and also a silver medal for the long jump.
Other athletes at the reception from the Saudi Paralympic team were discus thrower Hani Alnakhli, 100m sprinter Saeed Alkhaldi and Sharahili Asaad. Also present at the press conference and reception was Zerelli Sami, head coach of the team, along with other officials from the Saudi Sports Federation for Special Needs. London 2012 is the first Games where the planning and organization of the Olympics and Paralympics has been fully integrated.
Asked about the security measures being taken by the British government, the envoy said the British government had made elaborate security arrangements. "It's a massive challenge…it’s also an opportunity," said Phillips, adding that almost 4,200 athletes will compete in 20 sports in 15 different venues in the UK. The event will run for 11 days and about 2 million people are expected to visit London to watch the events, he added.
“What makes the 2012 Games particularly special is that the Paralympics are returning to the country which established what was later recognized as the Paralympic movement.”
The first disability sport competition was held for wounded WWII war veterans, at Stoke Mandeville hospital in the UK in 1948. He noted members of the Saudi Paralympic team also visited and trained at the facility at Stoke Mandeville for this year’s Games.
“I wish the Saudi team every success, both as athletes but as pioneers in the journey towards transforming public perceptions of disability, and recognition of what the human spirit can achieve” he added. “With just over 100 days to go until the Paralympics, it is events like these which we are rightfully very proud of," said Visa General Manager Siddiqui. Olympic Games fever has really taken off here in the Middle East like never before, and especially in Saudi Arabia, he said.
"It is a great achievement being chosen for one the greatest sporting events in the world and I would like to wish all seven Saudi Arabian Paralympic athletes the very best of luck this summer in London”, he added. Britain will be ready to welcome athletes and visitors for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games with brilliant new venues ready — on time, said Siddiqui.
Disability access has been incorporated into the design and structure of the buildings, open spaces and public transport for 2012. The Athletes’ Village has already won awards for its accessibility, setting a new standard that every subsequent Games will aspire toward, said a press statement released on this occasion. Disabled people from all walks of life have played a fundamental part in every aspect of the Games, from planning to construction and staging, as employers, employees and volunteers, the report said.