Should Saudi Arabia be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

I don't think it's just up to Britain and UK to 'allow' SA to compete. The IOC has the last word, doesn't it?

I think it's wrong they are allowed in when they don't include women.

Can you imagine the uproar though, if we pulled out in support of their women?

Oohhh jingl wouldn't that be a laugh!

But, seriously, it says a lot about the status of women world wide, when we know it would never happen.

It would ** up the Olympics, though...saying nothing here!

I don't think it's cut and dried. I certainly don't think their leaders should have tickets or be allowed to attend ceremonies, but the athletes haven't done anything wrong and they would be exposed to the views of the rest of the world whilst here. If the athletes decide they won't condone the discrimination of their home country, they can take their athletic abilities elsewhere - see how the Saudis like it when they've got no male athletes, either!

That's true Carol. You can't blame the athletes.

I don't blame the male athletes specifically, but I wonder how many Saudi men would like to see their women treated equally? Those in power are rarely anxious to give it up!

There are plenty of Saudi men living in this and other western countries who don't agree with their home country's inequality and treatment of women. It won't be long before yet another uprising - they seem to be going down the same route in the middle east, slowly but surely.

I am not sure that the 'Arab Spring' has led to much long-term improvement in the treatment of women - that seems to be more a relgious than a political issue. Still, we can but hope.

Frankly, I reckon the whole Olympic thing and the IOC are so corrupt and so far from the original ideal of the modern Olympics, that is makes no difference whether Saudi, Iran, North Korea and umpteen other countries with suspect regimes take part.

home

Why another Arabian country. There was a thread on the Bahrain Grand Prix. If you feel Saudi Arabia should be banned why not Sri Lanka, all asian countries who have forced/childhood marriages, all african countries who enforce genital mutilation, China with it's human rights abuse, the list goes on and on.

If you ban all countries we in the west deem to have human rights issues then you might just as well stop worldwide sporting events. Are you sure the people of those countries want that to happen? The world has become a very small place and the leaders of the countries with human rights issues are becoming accutely aware they are being watched and openly critized. If we stop them from taking part in world sporting events then why not other forums. Be careful what you wish for. They could decide to become even more remote from our views and the population could suffer by our hands.

No, the Saudi's will not allow women in their team.
Is this maybe a small, very small step forward since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin?
Or has nothing changed?