Princess Haya 'still an athlete'

Princess Haya of Jordan reveals she would like to compete in show jumping in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Jordan's Princess Haya, competes in the 1999 Pan Arab Games in Amman and now wants to jump in London 2012.

BEIJING // Princess Haya of Jordan, the wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has revealed that she would like to compete in the 2012 Olympics in London. Princess Haya took part in the show jumping in Sydney 2000. Now the president of International Equestrian Federation (IEF), Princess Haya said she wants to compete again in London and added: "I still think of myself as an athlete."

In an interview with CNN's correspondent, John Vause, she said: "Every Games is tough for a million different reasons, and the toughest is that we're all there trying to win the medal, all of our athletes. I still think of myself as an athlete. Yes, I want to compete in London." Princess Haya said that Beijing compares with Sydney, which were widely considered to be the "fun" games. "I think at this point in time, the two do compare. In the run-up to the games, most people are thinking about sports. Most of the athletes, that's their top priority. I think the crowd and the people in China are going to make it a fantastically fun games. That's still to be seen, but from what we've already seen, the facilities are fantastic, and the athletes are really happy. The village is the most comfortable ever, so I think it will be a fun games, but every games has its special mark." She was asked to talk about what is was like to compete as a Muslim woman. She replied: "It's as difficult as it is for any woman, for any man, from any race, any colour.

"I was very lucky. My late father, His Majesty King Hussein, gave me the gift to be able to train abroad, become a professional athlete, and actually it's a gift that he continues to give me, because now I get to see the same, the example he set, the gift that he gave me opened doors for so many other women in my part of the world. "And now in my adopted home in the United Arab Emirates, I'm able to see for the first time two high-profile women on their delegation and one carrying the flag in the opening ceremony. And that's something that I did in the games in Sydney, and I'm just - that's an example of what sports does for everybody.

"It's absolutely fantastic, and I think it's a lot more powerful than politics, than talking, than rhetoric. I think sports really delivers." * CNN