•HRES 1409 IH 
Whereas the Olympic Charter states that the role of the 
International Olympic Committee (IOC) is ‘‘to encourage 
and support the promotion of women in sports at all lev-
els and in all structures with a view to implementing the 
principle of equality of men and women’’; 
Whereas on March 10, 2008, at the 4th IOC World Con-
ference on Women and Sport, held in the Kingdom of 
Jordan, ‘‘The Dead Sea Plan of Action’’ was adopted, ex-
pressing ‘‘the need to use every opportunity available in 
the Olympic Movement to advance the cause of women in 
sport and through sport’’; 
Whereas there were no women participants at the first mod-
ern Olympic Games in 1896, but by 2004 women were 
on delegations from all but nine of the 201 countries par-
ticipating in the Summer Olympic Games; 
Whereas the number of women athletes participating in the 
Summer Olympic Games exceeded 4,000 for the first 
time at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games and in 2008 
will set a new record of over 4,400, or 42 percent of the 
total number of athletes participating in the 2008 Sum-
mer Olympic Games; 
Whereas women will compete in 26 of 28 sports and 45 per-
cent of the events at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games; 
Whereas at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Robina 
Muqimyar, who ran the 100 meters, and Friba Razayee, 
who competed in judo, became the first women from Af-
ghanistan to compete in the Summer Olympic Games; 
Whereas Dana Al-Nasrallah, who ran the 100 meters at the 
2004 Summer Olympic Games, became the first woman 
from Kuwait to compete in the Summer Olympic Games; 
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•HRES 1409 IH 
Whereas the United Arab Emirates encourages the participa-
tion of women in sports, and Her Highness Sheikha 
Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who 
will compete in taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympic 
Games, will become the first woman from the United 
Arab Emirates to compete in the Summer Olympic 
Games; 
Whereas Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen are 
the only countries not sending women athletes to the 
2008 Summer Olympic Games; 
Whereas participating in sports can help young women in-
crease self-esteem and prepare for leadership roles in so-
ciety; and 
Whereas removing barriers to the participation of women in 
sports creates a more inclusive society and promotes 
equal rights for all citizens: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the great strides made by the 
majority of countries participating in the Summer 
Olympic Games to increase the participation of 
women in the Summer Olympic Games and sports in 
general; 
(2) applauds the many countries with policies 
that enable the participation of women in sports to 
coexist with traditional cultural and religious prac-
tices; 
(3) calls on the International Olympic Com-
mittee (IOC) to advocate for improved opportunities 
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•HRES 1409 IH 
for women to participate in sports, and to work with 
all countries to provide financial support and ade-
quate facilities for women athletes; and 
(4) urges the IOC and all countries to increase 
efforts to enhance the participation of women in 
sports both domestically and internationally, to 
strive to make the 2012 Summer Olympic Games 
the first at which women are on delegations from 
every participating country, and to ensure a new 
record number of women competitors at the 2012 
Summer Olympic Games. 
Æ 
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