Work is due to start on a BD400,000 ($1.06 million) women-only sports complex and public park in Bahrain, which will feature a swimming pool, a walkway and a sports clinic, as well as green spaces and recreational facilities.

The 905 sq m facility will be located in Riffa and will also have a multipurpose hall that will host lectures and workshops on women's health.

It is the brainchild of municipal councillor Waleed Hijris and has already won official approval from the Central Municipal Council and Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi.

Hijris and area MP Abdullatif Al Shaikh now plan to hold a public meeting to explain the project and its potential benefits to women in their constituency.

They hope to use the meeting to get feedback from women to ensure maximum benefit for those who use it.

"As the project is now in the design phase, we want to guarantee that it will fulfil all women's expectations in the area," said Hijris.

"We want to address their needs in this park as it is to serve only them, not men."

Clinics located at the new complex will be staffed by physiotherapists, but Hijris said he hoped the project could also help tackle chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart diseases by promoting healthy lifestyles.

The Central Municipality, a branch of the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry, will be responsible for operating the park. – TradeArabia News Service