The official dates for the London Olympics are 7/27 to 8/12. The Muslim holy season of Ramadan takes place from 7/19 to 8/18 so that the two events overlap for seventeen days when normally Muslim athletes must fast from sunrise to sundown - unless they receive a "traveler's" exemption to delay their fast until later. The London organizers are planning predawn meals to accommodate these athletes - said to number 3000. From a gender standpoint Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei are the last Muslim countries to finally send female athletes to compete. Qatar will have a female flag bearer. It says she is a "shooter".............!! And one of the Saudi females will perform Judo - pity the opponent facing all that coverup. So there you have it - let the games begin!
tjs
P.S. - The gender makeup of the USA team is about 50/50 with a slight edge to the women athletes. Chalk it up to Title IX.
Next - Amnesty
Very interesting. I didn't realize Ramadan and the Olympics were going to overlap. Thanks!
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