“Sports for girls is important, but they should be practiced in a way that conforms to the teachings of Islam,” Prince Faisal said. He was speaking to media on the sidelines of a meeting of the Higher Committee for School Sports Strategies, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The prince said it was the ministry’s duty to adhere to the principles of justice advocated by Islam, which did not discriminate between boys and girls or men and women.

“Girls’ health is our concern, and their sports should be within the bounds of the religion of Islam,” the prince said.

The minister also said that the focus of the discussions during Tuesday’s meeting was on the ways to build a Saudi national team to participate in the Olympics 2022.

The prince added that his ministry had started the preparations for the meeting a long time ago. It would hold continuous meetings over the coming years without relaxing its efforts to achieve the goal of building superior teams for the Kingdom.

He affirmed his confidence in the excellence of Saudi boys, saying that the ministry did not think that a Saudi was inferior to any man in the world. “However, we need to identify the Saudi talent and polish it to perfection.”

He said the participants in the meeting agreed on the need to bring in international experts who had the highest potential to start the process of talent development in schools, in addition to choosing the groups with experience and capability that would join the ministry in its efforts.