沙特或首次派女将出征奥运_BEC初级作文

沙特或首次派女将出征奥运

But the decision has yet to be officially declared.

The Saudi Olympic body has so far said that only men will take part in the London Olympics.

In July last year, the president of the IOC's Women and Sport Committee, Anita DeFrantz, criticised Saudi Arabia, as well as Qatar and Brunei for being the last three countries to have never sent female athletes to the Olympics.

Last month, the New York-based Human Rights Watch published a report that damned the systematic exclusion of women from sporting activities in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar, which is bidding for the right to host the 2020 Olympics, has already announced its firm intention to send female competitors to London.

On Friday, HRW welcomed reports that Saudi Arabia might be represented by women at the Olympics, but said the "positive step" was not enough.

It said Saudi Arabia was still in violation of the Olympic Charter "due to its systemic violations of the right for women to participate meaningfully in sport in the kingdom," calling on the IOC to use its leverage to "help affect lasting change for Saudi women."

"Sending women to the London Olympics does not change the fact on the ground in Saudi Arabia that girls and women are effectively excluded from taking part in sport," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW Middle East director.

"This is no moment for the IOC to celebrate, when girls remain barred from physical education in Saudi government schools as a matter of policy," she said.