Saudi Arabia to allow women to get into sport stadiums

Saudi Arabia is renovating its stadiums so that women will be allowed to enter them to watch sports for the first time.

Following the historic announcement that starting from June 2018 women will be allowed to drive, the conservative kingdom now said next year women can get into three massive sport stadiums in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.

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Saudi General Sport Authority, the country's governing institutions for sports, announced that King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, King Abdullah Sport City in Jeddah, and Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam -- until now strictly male-only -- will start specific renovations to "receive families" from early 2018.

That means women will be seated in family sections segregated from the male crowd, as is customary in the kingdom. During the renovations, the three stadiums will set up restaurants, cafes, and monitor screens.

The latest development is likely to cause a backlash among ultra-conservatives and traditionalists in the country, who already reacted with anger at the lifting of the women's driving ban.

Last month, Saudi Arabia let women into the national stadium for the first time on the occasion of the celebrations of the 87th anniversary of its founding, which featured concerts, fireworks, air acrobatics, and traditional folk dance.

The kingdom is trying to diversify its oil-dependant economy with an ambitious reform programme called Vision 2030.

The country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has also recently promised to return Saudi Arabia to "moderate Islam".

While these steps are welcome by human rights organisations, there is still a long way to go.

Saudi Arabia relies on a male "guardianship" system, which means men legally control women's lives from the cradle to the grave, including renting an apartment, filing a claim, being able to work, leave Saudi Arabia, set up a bank account, and so on.