The transformation of women’s sports in Saudi Arabia is no mirage. Just ask the women

Last August, Dunya Abutaleb nearly won a bronze medal in Taekwondo at the summer olympics in Paris. But before stepping onto the mats there, she had already won a major victory: The 27-year-old was the first Saudi woman to earn direct qualification to the Olympics.

Abutaleb’s achievement was also a win for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, which set out to transform women’s sports as part of a broader mission to increase economic and cultural diversification while moving the nation away from its reliance on oil revenue.