Princess Reema has become “the first woman to lead a federation” for sport in Saudi Arabia.
She’s already been leading change in Saudi Arabia, after successfully campaigning for authorities to issue licences for women’s gyms.
And now Princess Reema bin Bandar bin Sultan has scored another first in the kingdom, after being appointed to a multi-sports federation’s top role.
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That makes the royal “the first woman to lead a federation” covering sporting activities for men and women, an official told AFP.
Princess Reema scored another first when she was appointed to head up a sports department for women last year, and revealed on Twitter that she hopes to help Saudi achieves its “dreams” in her new role.
أشكر معالي رئيس اللجنة الأولمبية على هذه الثقة وأتطلع للعمل في الرياضة المجتمعية بما يحقق تطلعات وطننا الغالي🇸🇦🇸🇦 @gsaksa @Turki_alalshikh
— Reema Bandar Al-Saud (@rbalsaud) October 13, 2017
The royal, the daughter of former US ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan, was born in Riyadh but educated in America, earning a degree in museum studies from George Washington University.
Princess Reema has worked as the CEO of luxury retailer Alfa International, is the founder of a creative talent initiative, and has also made a name for herself as an activist for female empowerment.
الأميرة ريما بنت بندر وكيل الهيئة للتخطيط والتطوير تشارك في فعالية #يوم_النشاط_العائلي pic.twitter.com/Aq3TxJaUWM
— هيئة الرياضة (@gsaksa) October 14, 2017
Her latest job as President of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports follows other historic appointments in the kingdom, including that of Fatimah Baeshen, who last month was named the country’s first female spokeswoman.
Saudi national Baeshen celebrated the announcement of her new role, saying she was “proud to serve” her country.
The news came hot on the heels of the revelation that Saudi Arabia will soon start issuing driving licences to women, in a royal decree that comes into effect in June 2018.
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The end of the driving ban has been described as the start of a new era in the kingdom, which is currently the only country in the world where women are prohibited from driving.
The move was widely celebrated on social media at the time, with the hashtag #SaudiWomenCanDrive trending on Twitter.
The reform comes as part of the kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030, a post-oil economy plan under which the government aims to increase the percentage of women in the nation’s workforce from 23 per cent to 28 per cent by 2020.