Women to be allowed into Saudi sports stadiums

Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority will allow women into three stadiums across the country for the first time, as part of a series of steps to reform the Kingdom and its economy.

The Kingdom will develop King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, King Abdullah City in Jeddah, and Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam so that the venues are ready to host women and families in the first half of 2018, according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The sports authority made the announcement in a press conference as part of a series of new decrees aiming to revamp the Kingdom’s stadiums and sports venues.

Last month, Saudi Arabia removed a longstanding ban on women driving, as the Kingdom seeks to increase women’s participation in the workforce to 30 percent from 22 percent by 2030.

Women who wish to obtain licenses to drive in the Kingdom will now be able to do so during the second half of 2018.