Saudi dignitaries hailed the performance of Mashael Alayed, the first female swimmer from the kingdom to compete in an Olympics. Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, an influential member of the Saudi Olympic committee and the kingdom's ambassador to the United States has led efforts to integrate Saudi women into sport.
Bandar Al Saud wrote on X: "Proud to cheer on this young woman! Breaking boundaries! Mashael Alayed.” The Princess is the first woman to serve as an ambassador in the country’s history and she has worked to expand opportunities for Saudi women within the kingdom.
The Olympic Games have grown to be the largest, gender equal sporting event in the world. More than a century after women first competed at the Olympic Games, female athlete numbers were close to equal with those of the men at Tokyo 2020. The number of women competing at the Olympic Games has increased significantly – from 34 per cent of the total at Atlanta 1996 to a new record of 48 per cent at Tokyo 2020.
The Paris 2024 Games are the first gender-equal Olympics in history, with a near equal split of 50% women and 50% men among the 10,500 athletes who will compete in the 32 sports, including the aquatic disciplines. The drive towards gender equality – on and off the field of play - has picked up pace in the Olympic Movement in recent years due to progressive initiatives by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the efforts of National Olympic Committees, including Saudi Arabia.
In addition to being the most gender-balanced Summer Games in history, Tokyo 2020 implemented a rule change that allowed one male and one female athlete to carry their flag during the Opening Ceremony jointly. More than 90% of NOCs had a female flag bearer – significantly increasing the visibility of female athletes during this iconic event. Last Friday’s Opening Ceremony celebrated women, and featured ten golden statues of female pioneers that rose from giant pedestals along the Seine. One of them represented Olympe de Gouges, who drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen in 1791 during the French Revolution.
In Tokyo, the women’s 1500m freestyle event was added to the Olympic program for the first time. The men’s 1500m event has been contested since the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. Katie Ledecky’s time at the Tokyo Olympic Games would have won an Olympic Gold medal at each of the first 14 Olympic Games. Ledecky's time would have been 25 seconds faster than the time of the American man who won the gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Saudi Swimming Federation president Ahmad Alkudmani was quoted by Reuters saying that Alayed's participation was "an indication of the potential and ambitions of Saudi sports thanks to the great support of young athletes to represent their country in the best way. I see that Mashael’s participation in the Olympics and contact with the best swimmers from different countries of the world contribute to the refinement and development of her talent very much."
Seventeen-year-old Mashael Alayed swam in the first heat of the women’s 200m freestyle event on Sunday at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She achieved a personal best time of 2:19.61, finishing sixth ahead of Duana Lama from Nepal. This time significantly improved over the 2:21.04 time that she posted at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Doha earlier this year.
Also racing in the same event was Mollie O’Callaghan of Australia, the newly crowned Olympic Champion who won the event in a new Olympic record time of 1:53.27. O’Callaghan beat her Australian teammate, Ariarne Titmus, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games winner. Although Alayed swam more than 25 seconds off the pace of the gold medallist, she realises that this opportunity is a starting point for women in her country. “It felt very special to know that I'm with athletes that are around my level, if not a bit faster, and also swimming in Paris with the world's greatest athletes. That's a very motivating feeling.”
When asked about her performance, Alayed said, “I wish I could do better time-wise, but that's fine. There's always room for improvement. Overall, it was a great experience. When I went into the race-ready room, I was so focused. I didn't want to look at anything else, so I just kept my gaze on the floor.”
Swimming at her first Olympics, the Saudi teenager praised the venue, saying, “I really liked the pool. It was a very fast pool. I liked the race and the atmosphere. I like how it's fast and how, even if it's preliminary races, the arena is still full of swimming fans. My dad and his friend are in Paris to watch. And I know my mom's watching me on TV (from home).”
Alayed was swimming in her fourth major championship since entering the elite development program in the kingdom. She represents the Ettifaq club, won a gold medal and two silvers in the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Youth Games in Abu Dhabi, UAE this past April. She also won three bronzes and a silver medal at the Saudi Games.
Alayed explained the recent changes that benefited her, recalling “when we first arrived in Saudi Arabia, my younger brother started training at the Sports City facility in Dammam. Previously swim training was only allowed for guys, before vision 2030“
Alayed speaks with enthusiasm about the changes in her country allowing her this opportunity. “Girls weren't allowed to swim there until recently, it was the summer of 2022 when I started my swimming journey in Saudi. Only one other girl trains with me in swimming. But other girls train in other (aquatic) disciplines.
“We are training in Dammam Sports City under coach Fouzi Bujalal and we have the exact same workouts as the boys. And it's a pretty cool experience and such a blessing, honestly. I really hope that with these first steps, me and some other girls that are with me on the team. I hope that we can inspire girls and also little guys to start training. I'd like to have a big group of teammates.”
Alayed was impressed with her Paris 2024 Olympic experience: “I have seen a number of the world’s best swimmers from afar. The most memorable ones I saw were Australia’s Lanny Pallister, Canada’s Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky from the USA. All these people are so cool. I watched Summer's performance on Monday when she won the 400m Individual Medley and it was amazing. She's incredible, and the fact that we're the same age just blows my mind. I wish her the best. She's a role model for swimmers.”
The Saudi Swimming Federation president believes that Alayed will also be a role model for other swimmers noting that "her participation will inspire a future generation of female players in the future."
Alayed recently graduated from the French School based in Khobar. “I hope to move to Belgium to study engineering at the Free University of Brussels if I pass the exam at the end of August. Otherwise, I'll just study mathematics or physics because there are ways to pass into engineering from these studies.” Both of her parents are engineers.
With respect to her swimming career, she reflected, “I'm just focusing on baby steps. I'm really hoping that by the end of this year or the beginning of 2025, I can get a medal at the Arab Championship. And then, obviously, all of the athletes' dream is to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. And even though it seems like a very distant dream, it would be the best achievement ever.”
“Competing at the Paris Olympics was such a nice feeling. I really enjoyed the Olympic Village the first few days I was there; I was just trying not to do much because I was trying to focus on my race and rest as much as possible. Now I'm free to explore, but with little time, I am leaving Paris soon. I would have loved to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, all this stuff. Paris is very nice.”
Alayed declared her Paris Olympic experience “a big thing. It is a big thing, not just for me, but for girls and for my country.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, sports minister, chairman of the Saudi Olympic Committee and head of the kingdom's delegation in Paris recently posted on X: "Mashael Alayed has a great future ahead, all the best."
Alayed said, “I really hope that I am able to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028,” confirming the Saudi swimmer's future goals.