NEWS FLASH

Rights Group Doubts Saudi’s Resolve To Field Women Olympians | With an announcement to allow women in its official Olympic delegation, Saudi Arabia became the last country in the world to send a woman to the Olympics. But the top candidate to actually represent the kingdom in the games — 20-year-old Dalma Rushdi Malhas, an equestrian — was disqualified the day after the announcement when she missed a deadline because of an injury to her horse. Human Rights Watch (HRW) told the Wall Street Journal that Saudi Arabia knew Malhas wouldn’t qualify when it pledged to send a woman and “should be on a bit of a desperate search” to find a new female to represent them. HRW’s Minky Worden said the Saudis should consider a lesser-trained woman participant or a symbolic role for one as a flag-bearer.