Lina Al-Maeena is not just a member of Saudi Arabia’s Consultative Assembly but also an entrepreneur and an athlete who has proved her capabilities ever since she strived to establish a women’s basketball team in 2003. Subsequently naming it Jeddah United, she would transform the team into a fully-fledged basketball academy.
As a result of her success as president of the academy, Lina was appointed a member of the Sirb Award’s (an entrepreneurial contest) board of directors. She was also named the 71st most powerful woman in the Arab world Forbes Magazine in 2014.
In 2004, she was chosen as the representative to the French Senate on International Women’s Day, and in 2010 she received the entrepreneurship award from the Women’s Leadership Forum. She became one of the ten women to climb the Mount Everest Peak Base Camp (altitude of 5,400 meters), an endeavor that was part of a cancer awareness campaign in 2012.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on International Women’s Day, Al-Maeena praised the reforms that took place in Saudi Arabia regarding women issues.
“We can say that the national transformation, regarding women’s issues, in particular, went through more smoothly than anyone could have imagined, whether inside or outside the Kingdom. Achievements in social, economic, health, and athletic fields were realized," she said, hailing the role of Vision 2030 in paving the way for these reforms and developments.
During the years of national transformation, women’s sports have been introduced to public girls’ schools, and physical education and sports education degrees were made available in universities. The number of sports federations increased to reach 64, with women involved in their management, sometimes heading them as well, which is the same case for the Saudi Tennis Federation which saw the appointment of Areej Mutabagani as its chairperson.
Lina also said that Saudi women are now allowed into stadiums, reinforcing their desire to create these scenes as players, coaches, referees, administrators, and officials, in addition to being their male brothers’ fans.
“The Kingdom’s clubs and teams also participated in Gulf women’s sports championships for the first time, taking part in the six sports during the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Women’s Games. I took part in the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi, and the Saudi teams won 40 medals, including 18 gold medals."
Finally, she stressed that women are involved in all sectors, including diplomatic, pedagogical, diplomatic, or athletic ones, which has empowered women.
