A Saudi Special Olympics Federation has been established and will be headed by Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan, who was recently appointed as Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States.
The chairman of the General Sports Authority (GSA) and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, issued an order to establish the Saudi Special Olympics Federation.
The announcement coincides with the Kingdom’s decision to participate in the Abu Dhabi 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games, scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates from March 14 to 21.
She is a graduate of George Washington University in Washington, DC. Princess Reema has been active in the public and private sectors of Saudi Arabia and has held positions where she worked toward furthering women’s empowerment.
In 2016, Princess Reema was appointed as the Undersecretary of the Women’s Division in the GSA. A year later, she became the President of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports, making her the first woman to lead a federation covering sporting activities for men and women in the Kingdom.
Prior to being appointed as the US Ambassador last month, she was the GSA’s Vice President for Development and Planning.
Princess Reema has also worked with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Education to promote physical education for girls in schools, making way for their participation in several sporting competitions.
