Eyes on the prize as Saudi women target global sporting glory

JEDDAH: Saudi women are stepping up to take their place on the global sporting stage — with a 2,000-year-old game leading the way.

Badminton’s growing popularity among women has turned it into one of the Kingdom’s fastest-growing sports, according to leading sporting figures.

Muqrin Al-Muqrin, chairman of the Saudi Badminton Federation, said the recent Saudi Women’s Badminton Championship in Riyadh highlighted the role of female players in the sport’s rapid expansion.

“I see a promising future for women’s sport in the Kingdom, and an aspiration for Saudi women to be among the most successful and prominent sports personalities with global achievements,” he said.

Badminton is thought to have originated in China over 2,000 years ago. It was brought to Britain in the 1870s and soon spread around the world.

The Saudi federation was established in 2014 and gained international and Asian federation membership three years later. It now represents more than 5,000 players in the Kingdom and this year was named best badminton federation in the world.

Women are at the heart of the Saudi federation’s plans to encourage participation in the sport.

“A large part of the federation’s strategy is to focus on female badminton players by providing the necessary facilities and facilitating practice to allow women of all ages to play,” Al-Muqrin said.

The chairman said that the federation’s strategies have proven their effectiveness in promoting the sport, making Saudi Arabia among the leading countries working to develop and spread the game.

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Muqrin shared his history with the racquet sport.

“I have had a great interest in badminton since the mid-Nineties when the sport spread among Asian communities in