SAUDI WOMAN BOXER

JEDDAH : Throwing punches in a gym tucked away from prying eyes, a Saudi female boxing trainer asserts a right-

Long denied to many women in the conservative kingdom - *the right to exercise*.

Halah AIhamarani, 41, runs a gym for women called Flagboxing. - its motto is *Fight Like A Girl*  in the western Red Sea city of Jeddah, offering fitness classes such as-

Calisthenics, Crossfit, boxing and kickboxing.

Relying on word-of-mouth publicity in a country where exercising in public is culturally deemed unbecoming for women, AIhanrani is working to empower a generation with little to no exposure to sports.

''On a daily basis, women who have never done sports walk into my class, some with their mothers,'' AIhamrani told AFP at her gym, which opened in 2016.

''They walk out more confident. Many find their voice. The mothers approach me and say : Thank You for offering such an empowering feeling.''

Abayas left in the locker : At first blush, the gym screams California, not Saudi Arabia.

Wearing headbands and workout attire, women are seen lifting weights, practising sparring techniques and pounding their fists into punching bags.

Some of them crumple up their abaya gowns and toss them into a locker, and they sweat it out over thumping music. [Agencies].