Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan has been recommended for International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership.
Five candidates — three women and two men — have been nominated for membership by the IOC executive board, and their nominations will be approved on July 17 during the IOC session.
Princess Reema has been Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US since February 2019, and is the first female to hold the post. She attended George Washington University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in museum studies.
In 2000, she co-founded Yibreen, a women’s gym. From 2007 until 2015, Princess Reema was CEO of Alfa International Company Limited - Harvey Nichols Riyadh, a multi-brand luxury retail company. In 2013, she founded Alf Khair, a social enterprise aimed at elevating the professional capital of Saudi women through a curriculum developed to enable financial self-sufficiency.
In 2016, Princess Reema left the private sector to begin a career in public service as vice president for women’s affairs at the Saudi General Sports Authority.
After a successful year, she was promoted to deputy of development and planning in January 2018. In October 2018, she was also appointed president of the Mass Participation Federation, making her the first woman to lead a multi-sports federation in the Kingdom, a role she occupied until her appointment as Saudi ambassador to the US.
Princess Reema has served as a member of the World Bank’s advisory council for the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative since 2017. She has been a member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee since 2017 and a member of the IOC Women in Sports Commission since 2018.
