This month marked 8 years since Saudi Arabia sent its first female athletes to compete in the Olympics at the 2012 Games in London. Many other changes have ensued in the Kingdom, lessons have been learned, and goals have been set and achieved to ensure the implementation of the country’s Vision 2030 reform plan, a key target of which has been to increase participation in sport among all members of society. And the approach is now bearing fruit with pioneer Saudi sportswomen passing on their experiences to help set future generations on the right track. I recently witnessed an example of this when I attended a virtual seminar on the challenges faced by women from the Kingdom taking part in sports. Panelist Dr. Taghreed Al-Sarraj highlighted four Saudi women in different disciplines — Rawan Zahran (certified fitness trainer), Amal Baatia (CrossFit coach), Saja Kamal (international footballer), and Nojoud Al-Zahrani (football team administrator) — and discussed the obstacles they overcome to achieve their goals and how they helped their businesses to thrive during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The women had pointed out that their main challenge was having limited options when starting out. For example, to get a certificate they had to travel abroad. Now, however, they said there were many opportunities for Saudi women to pursue their chosen sport and excel in it. As a woman in sports, I am proud to have witnessed and be part of the changes that have taken place that have had such a positive impact on society. But what is even more encouraging is that children are also being offered similar sporting opportunities to women. Parents, the decision-makers, can be one of the biggest challenges to attracting children to sports and limited options at schools have also been an obstacle. After-school sporting activities are often confined to summer camps, or private initiatives, none of which really help kids to develop into elite athletes. Children also find it difficult to access fitness centers. There are several factors that can affect a child’s decision, ability, and motivation to participate in sports such as family awareness about the importance of sport, transportation, and economic status. Meanwhile, in recent weeks, several examples of young Saudi women excelling in sport have been making headlines. Tala Albar, who started karate at the age of 5, claimed a black belt at 11 after competing against 500 participants in Jordan, and figure skater Malak Al-Shaya, 13, came fourth at the Houston Invitational event in March in the US, after just 3 years in the sport. Also, Saudi Minister of Sport Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal last month inaugurated a new academy dedicated to 6- to 12-year-olds, the first initiative of its kind for that age category. While the ministry has been cooperating on several schemes with the Ministry of Education to support sports for students, the academy will see it take charge of nurturing young athletes and honing their talents to become the sporting stars of the future. The private sector too has shown an interest in developing young athletes. Legend List this month started running a summer camp in Jeddah for children aged between 5 and 17 in football, archery, rowing, and basketball. The company aims to promote sports and build professional young athletes to embrace Olympic values. In addition, a week ago the Saudi Sports for All Federation launched a new online platform dedicated to wellness and fitness for children. During the period of COVID-19 such initiatives will ensure not only an increase in participation in sport but also help to create a mentally and physically healthier and active young generation. • Dr. Razan Baker is a director of international communication at the Saudi Olympic Committee, a specialist in corporate social responsibility in sports, and a sports columnist/journalist. Twitter: @RazanBaker Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view