Saudi Arabia says Games team will not include women

By Farah al-Sweel

RIYADH (Reuters) - When Saudi Arabia's Olympic team appears in Beijing next month, it will be conspicuous for the absence of women.

Rashed al-Heraiwel, head of the Saudi delegation, confirmed no women would be in the lineup, apparently due to opposition by powerful clerics to women's participation in sport.

Heraiwel said now was not the time for the Saudi authorities to consider allowing women into sport.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said, suggesting that issue had not been discussed due to the de-facto ban.

The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee website (www.saudiolympic.org.sa/) says the Olympic team will participate in five sports -- athletics, shooting, swimming, weightlifting and equestrian events -- but does not say how many athletes will attend the Aug. 8-24 Games.

A strict Islamic state, Saudi Arabia is one of the only countries to keep women out of international sports events, despite efforts in recent years to change the situation.

Last April, the Saudi Equestrian Sports Federation appointed a woman, Arwa Mutabagani, to its board. This month Sarah Mouwad was appointed to a senior position in the college football league in Riyadh.

"I hope to make a dent in the Saudi sports scene in whatever way I can," she recently told al-Riyadh newspaper.