Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, July 17, 2020: The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee has issued an official statement following the election of Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as an IOC Member at the 136th IOC Session on Friday, July 17.
The SAOC hailed the moment as “another remarkable achievement for Saudi women and for Saudi sports as a whole” as Princess Reema became the first Saudi woman to be elected to the IOC.
The statement said:
Princess Reema is the third Saudi to hold this position after the late HRH Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1983-1999) and HRH Prince Nawwaf bin Faisal bin Fahd Al Saud (2001-2014).
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, President of the SAOC, thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Crown Prince, HRH Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, for their continued support of all sports, both internally and externally.
He congratulated HRH Princess Reema on her election, saying that it confirmed the ability of Saudi sports cadres to be present on an international level in organisations such as the IOC, which is the highest sporting authority in the world, and where she, along with her colleagues, can work towards upholding Olympic values and promoting Olympism in Saudi Arabia and the world.
HRH Princess Reema stated that she was honored to be chosen for this position, noting that her victory came thanks to the generous support from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and HRH the Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal.
"It has been an honor to be able to serve my community and continuing to serve them through sports is unmatched. Sports is a means of connection and engagement, and it is the true global language” she added.
See IOC Member Profile on www.ocasia.org for more details on HRH Princess Reema.
