The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing calls to ban Saudi Arabia from London 2012 after the country's Olympic chief ruled out sending women athletes to the Games. Saudi Olympic Committee president Prince Nawaf bin Faisal said he was "not endorsing" female participation in London as part of the country's official delegation, Daily News & Analysis reported.

Sue Tibballs, chief executive of the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation, said the stance was unacceptable. "Saudi Arabia's current refusal to send sportswomen to the Olympics puts them directly at odds with one of the IOC's fundamental principles as laid out within the Olympic Charter," she said.

"It reads that 'any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, sex or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement'.

"If today's reports are to be believed, we would expect the IOC to defend the Olympic Charter and exclude Saudi Arabia from IOC membership and the London 2012 Olympic Games."