Riyadh: Saudi sports authorities shut down a female fitness centre inRiyadh Friday over a contentious promotional video that appeared to show awoman in figure-hugging workout attire.

“We are not going to tolerate this,” Saudi sports authority chief Turkial-Sheikh tweeted as he ordered that the centre´s license be withdrawn.

Sheikh, an adviser to powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also toldauthorities to investigate and prosecute those behind the video.

The video, which was widely circulated on social media but could not beindependently verified by AFP, showed a woman with uncovered hair in whatappeared to be a gym and kicking a punching bag.

The General Sports Authority said the video contained scenes that couldcorrupt public morals.

Saud al-Qahtani, a media adviser to the royal court, lauded the sportsauthority´s swift response, saying on Twitter that the kingdom was on thepath of “moderation without moral breakdown”.

Women are required to wear body-shrouding abaya robes and also cover theirhair in public in parts of the ultra-conservative kingdom, which has someof the world´s toughest restrictions on women.

Last July, police questioned a woman after she appeared in a series ofvideos, initially posted to Snapchat, wearing a crop top and a high-waistedminiskirt.

She had been filmed walking through the historic fort of Ushaiqer, north ofRiyadh, and playing with sand in the dunes. She was later released withoutcharge.

Saudi Arabia, in the midst of a far-reaching liberalisation drive, willallow women to drive from June and recently permitted them to enter sportsstadiums for the first time.

The government is also seeking to jump-start women´s sports and is movingtoward compulsory physical education classes for girls, after a ban waslifted in 2014.

But the kingdom still requires women to seek permission from a maleguardian — usually a father, husband or brother — to study, work ortravel. – APP /AFP