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RIO DE JANEIRO -- For a newly-minted Olympian who had just blazed a tiny trail for Saudi Arabian women, Lubna al-Omair sure looked miserable.Instead of pride, the fencer wore the face of humiliation. Her bout, make that rout, at the Rio Games lasted just 1 minute and 44 seconds. Too quick to enjoy; long enough to hurt.Afterward, waiting in rain for a minibus to whisk her away from a fight, but hopefully not an experience, to forget, al-Omair wasnt in the mood for sharing her feelings about becoming the first Saudi woman to fence at an Olympics.Does she look like she wants to talk? said her minder, waving this reporter away.No, frankly, she didnt. Instead, al-Omair looked like another Saudi butterfly crushed by the wheels of discrimination.Handing out wild cards for token Saudi women to participate at the Olympics is billed as a well-meaning effort to promote female sport. But, at the second games where this has happened, it still feels like a sham. The simple fact, proven first at the 2012 London Games and now in Rio de Janeiro, is that inviting courageous but clearly ill-equipped women from a country where they are treated as second-class citizens leaves them vulnerable to a hammering when they are then dropped in the deep end of Olympic competition.How does a 15-0 trouncing, fencings equivalent of 6-0, 6-0 in tennis, only far quicker, of al-Omair by a Brazilian ranked 80th advance the cause of Saudi women? Will it impress conservative Saudi men whose minds must be changed or simply comfort their view that sport isnt suitable for women? Will it inspire a new generation of Saudi girls to grow up hoping that they, too, might one day have their tails whipped for an Olympic TV audience?Clearly, as well as opportunities to participate, Saudi women also need the International Olympic Committee to insist that their country guarantee them a fighting chance, with all the facilities and equal opportunities that would require.Human Rights Watch says progress for Saudi women in sports has been incremental since two of them competed for the first time in London. At the Rio Games, there are four Saudi women, although two are already out.In judo, Wujud Fahmi also was gone in blinks of the eye against a competitor from Mauritius who beat her with bout-ending ippon maneuver seconds into the first round of the womens 52-kilogram competition.Still to compete are sprinter Cariman Abu al-Jadail in the 100 meters and Sarah Attar in marathon.According to her web site, Attar lives and trains in California and has completed nine marathons. She ran the 800 at the London Olympics, finishing last and almost a lap behind the winner of her heat in first-round qualifying.Attar says their participation in London definitely created new perspectives.There is now a generation of Saudi Arabian girls growing up with the possibility of women competing in the Olympics, she wrote in running magazine Like the Wind ahead of the Rio Games. They see sports and athletic competition as something they can strive towards, and that is incredibly powerful.Human Rights Watch isnt so glowing.Its pre-Olympics report on womens sports in Saudi Arabia spoke of the profound discrimination that holds back womens and girls participation.Women cannot be seen by men while jogging in sweat pants, much less wearing fitted or revealing shorts. Most women cover their hair and face with a veil known as the niqab and all are required to wear a loose black dress known as the abaya in public. Although private women-only gyms and sports clubs are growing in popularity in major Saudi cities, public schools dont offer physical education for girls.Al-Omair traveled to Rio from the eastern Saudi city of Khobar. Other than that, this petite pioneer leaves as something of a mystery. The Rio Games information site offers no biographical material about her other than age (29), height (1.52 meters; 5 feet) and weight (45 kilograms; 99 pounds). It lists athlete as her occupation.Though the Saudi fencer possesses the requisite skill level, she lacks experience in top-level tournaments, the governing International Fencing Federation said in a statement to The Associated Press. Participation in more regional and international competitions will significantly increase her confidence and be of major importance in her preparations for future events.Through their meshed face masks, the Brazilian who beat al-Omair, Tais Rochel, could sense the nervousness of her inexperienced opponent.She knows the fencing technique, but she was afraid, Rochel said. In fencing, you cannot be afraid. And I could feel it.Of course, Saudi women have to start somewhere.But the Olympics are too competitive, too intimidating, too high profile for those reduced to taking baby steps.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester Adam Graves Rangers Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Custom New York Rangers Jerseys . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. 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NEW YORK -- New Yankee Stadium is being renovated after less than a decade to include seven new social gathering spaces, reducing capacity by about 2,100 seats.The Yankees said Monday that a childrens zone with an artificial surface and miniature baseball field will be created in the right-field upper deck and include playground equipment and a replica World Series trophy.Open-air spaces will be added to the left and right of the restaurant in center field, eliminating obstructed view bleacher seats. The new area will includde drink rail locations with power and USB ports.dddddddddddd gathering area above the restaurant will be expanded to 3,500 square feet; a sports lounge will be built in the lower deck and include a full bar; and a pair of party areas will be constructed in the upper decks.Capacity had been about 49,500. The changes will remove about 1,100 obstructed-view bleachers seats and 600 upper-deck seats. ' ' '