Workouts a necessity for women in absence of sports

In one of the big gyms in Jeddah hangs a poster on the wall. On it is written: “Exercise is a necessity, not a luxury.” Although this statement may be true, for Saudi women it is extremely difficult to do any sports. Not only is it not allowed for women to exercise in public, gyms in Saudi Arabia cannot get a commercial license from the General Presidency for Youth Welfare — who arranges this kind of sport licenses — to open a female section, as this sports body only caters to men.
The only way to open a gym for ladies is to establish a “health club” under a hospital license given by the Ministry of Health. In a time where obesity has become almost epidemic and diabetes as well as cardiovascular diseases are widespread, the taboo on sports for women is becoming anachronistic.
“In Saudi Arabia, sports are accepted only for men,” said Rania, a 35-year-old Saudi woman who works out at a gym in Jeddah regularly. “Even some of my friends look strange at me when I tell them I do sports.” She does not understand why some people find it inappropriate for women to exercise to remain fit.
Doing sports is important for various reasons. Scientific evidence on the positive effects of engaging in regular activity is enormous, especially when it comes to the prevention of chronic diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and obesity. In addition, one should not forget the mental effects of sports: There are strong signs that exercise in many cases helps diminish depression and anxiety as well as other psychological disorders.
Apart from this, people who participate in team sports develop social skills and make new friends. All in all, encouraging people to engage in regular activity is an effective way to improve public health.
Despite these obvious advantages, women keep being discriminated against when it comes to sports. Not only does the country lack sport facilities for women, physical education is not part of the official curriculum for girls’ schools, which means that girls in state schools do not have any chance to engage in sports.
Reem Al-Bakri is a certified Les Mills and TRX instructor at one of the few women gyms in the country. When asked about her opinion on women and sports, she expressed her frustration of the current restrictions. “It’s terrible that women don’t have the same possibilities as men to stay in shape. Bearing in mind how the obesity rates in the Kingdom are growing, especially among teenagers and people in their twenties, the authorities simply must make it easier for women to do sports.”
Currently, the gym Al-Bakri works for is organizing a competition among women to lose weight. “The number of participating obese women is incredible,” she commented. “And the worst is, these women are not just a bit flabby; their body fat percentages are alarming, and their lifestyle puts them in serious danger of developing all kinds of diseases, including diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and heart diseases.”
Pointing to the causes of obesity, Al-Bakri mentioned an important cause being stress. “Exercising is a very effective way to release stress. So, apart from sports as a means to lose weight, it can also help people keep their weight under control by presenting them a tool to unwind from daily worries.”
The allegation of some religious scholars that it is inappropriate for women to engage in sports is, according to Al-Bakri, baseless: “During the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), women used to be very fit. They rode horses and defended their freedom side by side with the Prophet (Peace be upon him).”
Dr. Badr Al-Shibani is the founder and CEO of Kai Fitness Center in Jeddah and would like to open a gym for ladies, as “there is a big demand.” However, he is unable to do so, as there exists no official commercial license to open sport facilities for women. “Gyms for women are always attached to a hospital or physiotherapy center,” he explained, expressing his disapproval of this restriction for women. He lamented that some people still think it is haram (forbidden) for women to play sports, although there is nothing in Qur’an that outlaws this.
In spite of this, Al-Shibani is positive about the near future: “Currently, there are already a lot of female sport teams. Private colleges and universities take the lead in this by providing sport facilities and organizing tournaments for women.” He believes it is only a matter of time until licenses will be granted to open women gyms. Fitness instructor Al-Bakri is also hopeful, given the growing awareness in society of the necessity to do sports.
Al-Shibani and Al-Bakri’s optimism could be justified. Deputy Minister of Education Noura Al-Fayez this month denied rumors that several girl schools had been fined for allowing their students to play sports inside their premises, Al-Watan newspaper reported recently. Moreover, in a letter to Human Rights Watch she wrote that the Ministry of Education was currently working on a comprehensive strategy on physical education — including a health and nutrition awareness scheme — for all public schools in the country, giving equal opportunities to both boy and girl students. The letter came a month after the International Olympic Committee said Saudi Arabia had decided to send female athletes for the first time to the Olympics in London this year.
The decision to send women to the Summer Games as well as the Ministry of Education’s project to develop a PE program for girl students generates hope for the future of women’s right to sports in the Kingdom. Perhaps the Saudi authorities have finally understood the absurdity of depriving women from a form of recreation that, in addition, keeps them in good health. Possibly, the statistics on obesity in the country have woken the officials, making them realize that health care costs will skyrocket if these numbers stay at this level or keep increasing. Whatever the reason, let’s all embrace these changes and support the women that will proudly represent Saudi Arabia in the London Games this summer.
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