DJ First-Ever Islamic Olympics Get Underway In Mecca
RIYADH (AP)--The first-ever Islamic Games kicked off in the holy city of Mecca on Friday in an Olympics-style tournament aimed at showing Muslim athletic prowess, with over 6,000 sportsmen - but no women - from 50 countries.
The tournament, dubbed the Islamic Olympic Games, is hosted by four Saudi cities - Mecca, Medina, Jiddah and Taif - and brings together members of sports unions affiliated to the Organization of Islamic Conference.
Women are not competing in the games. The conservative kingdom bars women from practicing sports, even in schools.
Prince Abdel Majid Bin Abdel Aziz, the prince of Mecca, opened the games Friday in a ceremony that featured more than 2,600 students at the King Abdul Aziz stadium in Mecca. Competitions begin on Saturday.
Fifty-five countries are taking part in the games, with 6,000 players competing in various categories, including swimming, diving, tennis, fencing, weightlifting, soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, karate and athletics. The mentally and physically challenged will also compete in special events.
The tournament, which Saudi officials boast is the second-largest sports gathering after the Olympics, ends April 20.
The games were announced after a meeting of Muslim sports federations officials in Riyadh in 2001. The next games are scheduled in Iran and Syria in 2009 and 2013 respectively.
Saudi Arabia is a regional sports powerhouse, especially in soccer. Its soccer team, which participated in a number of Olympic Games and Asian tournaments, qualified for the World Cup in 2002, 1998, and 1994. The kingdom also hosted the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1989.
The gold medalist in the suicide bomb competition was unable to accept his award. The gold medalist in the wife beating competition was supremely proud of his skill in the ability to whip a woman with both a forehand and backhand stroke of a bamboo cane. |
