The board discussed the situation at length during a meeting in Quebec on Thursday that was their last chance to impose sanctions on the Middle East country but it broke without any progress having been made.
The prospect of Saudi Arabia competing at London 2012 without a single female among their team moved a large step closer to reality on Thursday after the International Olympic Committee executive board failed to act on the issue,
The IOC is now hoping it will be able persuade the Saudis to change their attitude on the issues, with a source saying “we are still optimistic the country will send female athletes to London”.
However, their approach is bound to provoke an angry reaction from international human rights groups.
The meeting on Thursday was supposed to represent the final deadline for Saudi Arabia to agree to women being part of their London delegation or they would be in breach of the IOC’s charter.
This was to be the first Olympic Games to have women in every national delegation participating but the Saudis have consistently resisted calls to send a female delegation.
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