In a first, Saudi female athlete qualifies for Paris Olympics 2024

For the first time in the history of Saudi Arabia, a Taekwondo athlete, Donia Abu Talib, qualified for this year’s Olympics in Paris, the sport’s federation in the Kingdom said on Saturday.

The achievement was announced by the Saudi Ambassador to the US, Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, on the microblogging site X.

"Saudi Taekwondo national team member Donia Abu Talib is officially the first Saudi female athlete to qualify for the Olympics," her post read.

Reema informed that Donia has "successfully competed in the Asian qualifying rounds for the Olympic Games".

Talib previously had bagged a bronze medal at the Arab Taekwondo Championship Cup in 2022. 

According to a report by the British newspaper 'Telegraph', there are 330,000 registered female athletes in Saudi Arabia.

The publication said that the number of female athletes in the Kingdom has increased by 195% since 2021.