Learn karate ... society is game for women sports

Saudi Arabia’s first women’s sports center has been opened in the eastern city of Alkhobar under a license issued by the Youth Welfare Presidency.
Hanaa Al-Zuhair, owner of the center, said the license allows women to take part in sports including karate. The center also runs weight loss programs and special activities for children. The center’s opening was attended by a number of businesswomen and prominent female figures.
“We have already appointed Saudi trainers who have been trained abroad,” the owner told Al-Watan daily. Its karate trainer is a black-belt winner. “We have a trainer for yoga and other sports,” Al-Zuhair said and disclosed plans to launch a campaign to reduce obesity among kids.
Women welcomed the center as they were looking for such a facility for many years. Health experts believe such centers would help females win the battle of the bulge and keep diabetes away.
The Kingdom last month allowed girls in private schools to play sports, the latest in a series of steps aimed at safeguarding women’s rights.