They’ll be able to attend events from next year, officials say, in the kingdom’s newest reform.
It was just last month that women were allowed in a Saudi Arabian stadium for the very first time—but it looks like this will soon become a more permanent opportunity.
Women will be able to attend sports events in stadiums in three cities, officials have revealed this week, with the changes set to come into place next year.
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Families will be able to attend previously male-only stadiums in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in a landmark reform, just one of the kingdom’s latest moves to offer more freedom to women.
Saudi Arabia’s sports authority said preparations would kick off in the three stadiums soon, with a view for the venues to “accommodate families from early 2018”.
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Restaurants and cafes will also be established inside the venues, the authority added.
Previously, women were barred from visiting the stadiums due to the kingdom’s strict rules around gender segregation.
The latest change comes under Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious post-oil economic plan which aims to make Saudi a more modern, tourist-friendly destination.
Last month, a royal decree revealed women will be able to secure driving licences from June 2018, with the news widely celebrated around the globe.
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As part of the initiative, the government also aims to increase the percentage of women in the nation’s workforce from 23 per cent to 28 per cent by 2020.
The kingdom also recently held its first-ever women’s day, a ban on women voting or taking part in elections lifted in 2015, and in 2016 the strict religious police were stripped of their power to stop, question, pursue or arrest people.
Image: Getty
