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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time

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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Arab News photo by Mohammed Manei)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Twitter)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (AN photo by Mohammed Manei)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (AN photo by Mohammed Manei)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (AN photo by Mohammed Manei)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: Alekhbariya TV)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: @SaudiProject)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: @SaudiProject)
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time. (Courtesy: @SaudiProject)
Updated 04 October 2019
Arab News
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Saudi Arabia stadiums welcome female football fans for first time

Updated 04 October 2019
Arab News

RIYADH: Female fans were allowed to attend football matches for the first time in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The first match that women attended was the Al-Ahli versus Al-Batin on Friday Jan. 12.
The Saudi Arabian government announced the lifting of the ban late last year and as a result, women now be able to enjoyed Saudi Professional League matches. The government directive said women would also be able to attend a second match on the following day (Jan. 13) and a third one on January 18.


Women from across the vast Gulf kingdom may be able to take advantage of this new freedom as the first match will be held in the capital Riyadh, the second in Jeddah on the Red Sea and the third in the eastern city of Dammam.
The move is Saudi Arabia's first social reform planned for this year granting women greater rights.
To prepare for the change, the kingdom has designated "family sections" in the stands for women, separated by barriers from the male-only crowd. The stadiums have also been fitted with female prayer areas, restrooms and smoking areas, as well as separate entrances and parking lots for female spectators.
The General Sports Authority is preparing the surrounding squares in the King Abdullah Sports City (Al-Jawhara) with food trucks and a number of sporting and social events to create a distinctive social environment before the matches.
A host of events taking place whilst families enter the King Abdullah Sports City stadium.

 


The game was scheduled to kick off at 8:00pm, but enthusiasm for the historic encounter began well before the kick-off.
Lamya Khaled Nasser, a 32-year-old football fan from Jeddah, said she was proud and looking forward to the match.
"This event proves that we are heading for a prosperous future. I am very proud to be a witness of this massive change," she told AFP.

 

 


Ruwayda Ali Qassem, another Jeddah resident, called Friday a "historic day in the kingdom which culminates (in) ongoing fundamental changes."
I am proud and extremely happy for this development," she said.

 

 


Noura Bakharji, another Jeddah resident, said she always felt bitter when her brothers came back from stadiums to tell her about the excitement of watching football matches in person.
"I always watched games on TV while my brothers went to the stadiums... I asked myself repeatedly 'Why I can't go?'" she told AFP. "Today, things have changed. It's a day of happiness and joy."
Hours before the game, Saudi clubs were encouraging women to attend through tweets on social media.
Some clubs are offering special abayas — traditional head-to-toe robes for Saudi women — in team colours.
State-owned Saudi Airlines announced prizes of free tickets for five families who want to travel between cities to watch games.

 

 

Arab News spoke to local Al-Ahli supporter Rayan, who said: “Our whole family supports Al-Ittihad except me and my sister — we support Al-Ahli. We always try to watch the games together. I always feel bad leaving to watch some games in the stadium knowing that she can’t experience this special atmosphere. I always said ‘one day’ and now this is that day. It makes me so happy and proud that she can finally experience the excitement and drama of watching these games firsthand.”

Sara, a recent Saudi graduate from Northeastern University, stated the event was one of the first signs of increased female participation in sporting events and activities. “This is wonderful for us (Saudi) women, and I am sure there is more to come. A diverse and inclusive society will only serve as the base to positive progression for Vision 2030.”
Another Saudi woman that attended the game lent her voice. Lana, a fitness instructor based in Jeddah, said: “This was my first football match that I’ve ever attended, and It has been such a fun experience. I’ll always remember tonight. I salute our government for granting us these rights, and I can’t wait to attend again next week.”

Topics: football soccer Middle East Saudi Arabia

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Riyadh exhibition explores palm’s role in ancient cultures

Updated 5 sec ago
Hebshi Alshammari
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Riyadh exhibition explores palm’s role in ancient cultures

  • Experts discuss challenges and innovations in date farming
Updated 5 sec ago
Hebshi Alshammari

RIYADH: The “Palm Tree in Civilizations” pavilion at the International Dates Conference and Exhibition in Riyadh, running until Nov. 28, highlights the historical significance of the palm tree across ancient cultures.

The pavilion explores how date palms supported food and economic sustainability, offering a historical journey through the ages.

It also showcases the palm’s importance in ancient Egypt through carvings and murals depicting its role in daily life and religious rituals, as well as in agriculture, construction, and fertility practices.

Organized by the National Center for Palm and Dates under the theme “World of Dates,” the exhibit also highlights the palm’s significance in Mesopotamia and the Levant, featuring ancient texts like the Code of Hammurabi, which protected palm cultivation, along with carvings illustrating their role in trade and society.

Artifacts from the Dilmun civilization highlighted the reliance of ancient Arab societies on palms for agriculture and trade.

The pavilion also showcases the palm’s symbolic role in the Levant, particularly among the Canaanites and Arameans, with depictions from historical sites like Palmyra emphasizing its importance in religious and artistic traditions.

Saad Alnajim, vice president of the Antiquities and Heritage Association in the Eastern Province, said: “Beyond providing food, medicine, and shade, the palm symbolizes belonging and pride, reflected in its place on Saudi Arabia’s national emblem.”

Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri, chairman of the National Committee for Environment, Water and Agriculture, said that dates are central to the Saudi economy, with Vision 2030 aiming to make the Kingdom the world’s largest date exporter.

He added: “Today, the Kingdom is the largest producer and exporter of dates, thanks to the clear vision of the crown prince, whose efforts we are now benefiting from.”

According to the UN Comtrade database, Saudi Arabia exported dates worth over SR1.4 billion ($373 million) to 119 countries by the end of 2023.

The Saudi General Authority for Statistics reported production exceeding 1.9 million tonnes, reflecting a 152.5 percent increase in export value since 2016, solidifying the Kingdom’s position as the world’s largest date exporter.

Meanwhile, a panel of global climate and agriculture experts discussed the impact of climate change on date palm cultivation.

The session focused on challenges such as delayed fruit maturation, reduced yields, pests, and pollution, and explored innovative solutions to address these issues. The panel emphasized the need for international cooperation and sustainable farming practices.

The discussion highlighted global best practices, including improved irrigation and smart agricultural techniques, as well as the importance of farmer education and technical support.

Recommendations included enhancing international collaboration, supporting research on climate-resistant varieties, and promoting awareness for sustainable date palm cultivation.

The exhibition offers a variety of entertainment activities, including folklore shows, regional poetry, and cooking competitions.

It also features a museum that takes visitors on a journey through the history of palm trees and dates over the past 1,000 years.

Additionally, a live cooking area brings together local and international chefs to prepare a variety of date-based dishes.

Topics: Saudi Arabia Trees palm heritage

Saudi Arabia’s NEOM gigaproject a ‘generational investment,’ minister says

Updated 26 November 2024
Reuters
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Saudi Arabia’s NEOM gigaproject a ‘generational investment,’ minister says

  • The world’s top oil exporter has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into development projects through the kingdom’s $925 billion sovereign fund
Updated 26 November 2024
Reuters

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s NEOM gigaproject, a futuristic region being built in the desert, is a “generational investment” with a long timeline, the country’s investment minister told Reuters on Monday, adding that foreign investment will pick up pace.
“NEOM was not meant to be a two-year investable opportunity. If anybody expected NEOM to be foreign investment in two, three or five years, then they have gotten (it) wrong — it’s a generational investment,” Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on the sidelines of the World Investment Conference in Riyadh.
“The flywheel is starting and it will gain speed as we go forward, as some of the foundational assets come to the market,” he said.
The world’s top oil exporter has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into development projects through the kingdom’s $925 billion sovereign fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), as it undergoes an economic agenda dubbed Vision 2030 to cut dependence on fossil fuels.
NEOM, a Red Sea urban and industrial development nearly the size of Belgium that is meant to eventually house 9 million people, is central to Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia has scaled back some lofty ambitions to prioritize completing elements essential to hosting global sporting events over the next decade as rising costs weigh, sources told Reuters earlier this month. NEOM announced this month its long-time chief executive, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, had stepped down, without giving further details.
Asked what effect the departure would have on investors, the minister said the executive had done “a respectable job” but that “there is a time for everybody to pass on the baton.”
Asked if PIF will continue to do much of the spending on NEOM until more foreign funds come in, Al-Falih said it was not binary.
“I think foreign investors are starting to come to NEOM, they’re starting to channel capital. Some of the projects that the PIF will be doing will be financed through global capital pools, through some alternative and private capital. That’s taking place as we speak,” he said.
“So I urge you not to look at NEOM as being 100 percent PIF and then suddenly there will be a cliff and it will go private.”
Saudi Arabia, which is racing to attract $100 billion in annual foreign direct investment by the turn of the decade — reaching about a quarter of that in 2023 — has recently seen more co-investment deals between state entities and foreign investors.
“It’s always been the intent,” Al-Falih said of foreign inflows alongside state funds.
He noted that foreign investors were at times “still looking, still examining, still sometimes questioning,” but that now there was confidence in the profitability of investment opportunities and that “the risk-return trade-offs are very, very fair and positive to them.”

Topics: NEOM

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Saudi crown prince extends condolences to Kuwaiti counterpart on death of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah

Updated 26 November 2024
SPA
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Saudi crown prince extends condolences to Kuwaiti counterpart on death of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah

Updated 26 November 2024
SPA

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a cable of condolences to Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the passing of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Hamoud Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah.
In the cable, the crown prince extended his deepest sympathy to Sheikh Sabah and the family of the deceased.

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Saudi tech diplomat meets Iraqi PM to discuss digital cooperation

Updated 25 November 2024
Arab News
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Saudi tech diplomat meets Iraqi PM to discuss digital cooperation

  • Deemah Al-Yahya, head of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, commended Iraq’s investment in human capital as driver for growth and expansion of digital economy
  • Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy
Updated 25 November 2024
Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi senior tech diplomat Deemah AlYahya, the secretary-general of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, held talks on Monday with Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, about support for Baghdad’s plans to develop its digital business and artificial intelligence sectors.

They discussed Iraq’s strategy for digital transformation, and the need to create and develop a workforce with the tech skills required to help grow the Iraqi economy effectively, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Though Iraq is not a member of the DCO, an international body that focuses on the digital economy, Al-Sudani said his country is keen to work with the organization to meet the nation’s needs for a skilled workforce in the business sector.

AlYahya commended Iraq for the progress it has already made in terms of investment in the human capital needed to develop the digital skills that are essential to drive growth in a digitized economy.

Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy. Authorities this month organized the first Digital Space Iraq Forum, which focused on the use of advanced technologies, including AI, to help build a comprehensive digital economy.

The DCO says that since it was founded in November 2020, it has been at the forefront of efforts to curate policies and initiatives to support the digital economy in several countries. Currently, 16 nations are members, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Oman. It also has 39 observer partner organizations.

DCO member states have a collective gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion and serve a combined market of nearly 800 million people, more than 70 percent of whom are under the age of 35.

Topics: Digital Cooperation Organization Deemah AlYahya digital economy

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Saudi FM pushes for regional stability at G7-Arab foreign ministers meeting

Updated 25 November 2024
Arab News
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Saudi FM pushes for regional stability at G7-Arab foreign ministers meeting

  • In his address, Prince Faisal highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon
Updated 25 November 2024
Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in an expanded session of the second meeting between G7 foreign ministers and their counterparts from Arab nations on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting was hosted in Italy under the theme “Together for the Stability of the Middle East.”

The session, which addressed pressing regional and international challenges, was held with the participation of Saudi, Jordanian, Emirati, Qatari and Egyptian officials, as well as the secretary-general of the Arab League.

In his address, Prince Faisal emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships to address these challenges effectively.

He highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon, urging the international community to act immediately to secure a ceasefire, facilitate unrestricted humanitarian aid, and progress toward establishing an independent Palestinian state.

He also called for respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty, and renewed international efforts to resolve the crisis in Sudan and alleviate the resulting human suffering.

The meeting was also attended by Prince Faisal bin Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi ambassador to Italy, the SPA reported.

Topics: Saudi Arabia G7

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