Em setembro de 2014, al-Mishal prometeu a participação de mulheres nos Jogos Olímpicos de 2016, mas apenas em esportes que, de acordo com ele, fossem “aceitos [para mulheres] de acordo com a cultura e religião na Arábia Saudita”, incluindo esportes equestres, esgrima, tiro esportivo e tiro com arco.
In September 2014, al-Mishal promised women’s participation at the 2016 Olympic Games, but only in sports that according to him were “accepted culturally and religiously [for women] in Saudi Arabia” including equestrian sports, fencing, marksmanship, and archery.hrw.org hrw.org