HINGIS TAKES ONE SMALL STEP FOR FEMINISM IN GULF

"Things are changing but like any evolution it can happen only gradually and slowly," said Fawzia Ali, a Qatari woman sportswriter. It is less than three years since the conservative Gulf emirate of Qatar hosted its first major sports event with women athletes and spectators. Officials allowed a grand prix athletics meeting to be staged in Doha in 1998 on condition that female competitors wore modest T-shirts, singlets, cycling shorts and track suit trousers rather than skimpy outfits, in keeping with the traditions of the Muslim region. The strict dress code of the Gulf Arab world makes it difficult for women to compete in sports, especially in disciplines that require them to wear shorts or swimsuits. "Women's sport in the region hasn't flourished over the years because of the customs and traditions of the Muslim Arab society," said Ibrahim al-Banai, chairman of the Arab chess federation. "Our women are very keen to observe the Islamic dress code," Banai said. Gulf women have made names for themselves, at least in the Arab world, in chess, shooting and bowling. But unlike their counterparts in Morocco, Algeria and Egypt, where dress traditions are more relaxed, few women have ventured into other sports. In Saudi Arabia, the most conservative part of the region where women are forbidden to drive and have to cover their bodies and hair in public, there are no known sportswomen. The Doha tennis open this week was a small event in terms of prize money - $170,000 - but a big event in significance, taking the women's tour to the region for the first time. Another women's event in Dubai follows this week, with world number one Hingis and Frenchwoman Pierce again due to play. The tennis was shown on the region's television - with the exception of Saudi Arabia - but few, if any local women went along to watch the matches live. Last year, Doha hosted the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) grand prix final, with Olympic champion Marion Jones among the participants. In 2006, it will host the Asian Games. Qatari officials said change was coming but it would be slow. "It may be difficult for me to convince my father to justify women's participation in sport," said Sheikh Saud bin Ali al-Thani, vice president of the Qatari National Olympic Committee. "Traditions vary from region to region but we have proved that we can be as modern as anybody even while upholding our traditional values. It is the way you bring in changes that matter." Others feel that the pace of change is already too fast and say women's participation in sports such as tennis, beach volleyball, diving and synchronised swimming clashes with Islamic traditions. In September, a Kuwaiti Islamist politician tried to ban the showing of some of the events at Sydney's Olympic Games, saying they contained more sex than sport. "Some events, especially women's contests, have flagrant scenes which are unacceptable," Waleed al-Tabtabaie argued in a letter to Kuwait's Information Ministry. Sportswomen themselves want to play a greater part on the world stage. "We are no less than men in all fields of sports," said Aisha al-Qubaisi, a shooting silver medallist at the recent Gulf Cooperation Council championships in Doha. "Only give us the chance and see how we perform." The UAE's women's shooting team coach Shamma Al Muhairi believes her squad can do well. "We are targeting the World Cup in Germany and Italy in June and July," she said. "There is no reason why we cannot have big dreams." Nadia Taryem, one of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) leading show-jumpers despite being only 15, also has dreams. "I hope to join a strong UAE show-jumping squad for the Olympic Games," said Taryem, a member of a conservative family who is always accompanied by her father when she goes riding. Sportswriter Ali sees change too among ordinary women in Qatar. "Women are now more aware of the need for physical exercise and recreational activity," she said. "I will encourage my daughter if she is interested in sports." Reuters