After visiting Cleveland for planned health-tests in March 2012, Prince Nayef addressed the controversy over the participation of Saudi women athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London from his residence in Algeria. According to "Al Hayat" he said that women can represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics as long as they do not break Islamic laws. His approval was conditioned on women competing in sports that "meet the standards of women's decency and don't contradict Islamic laws", though even this concession seemed surprising. However, only a few days later, his statement led to other statements by Saudi officials. At a press conference in Jeddah, the head of the Saudi Olympic Committee, Nawwaf bin Faisal, explicitly stated that Saudi women athletes would not be sent to the Olympics: "We are not endorsing any Saudi female participation at the moment in the Olympics or other international championships." He further added that Saudi women taking part on their own are free to do so, and the Kingdom's Olympic authority would "help in ensuring that their participation does not violate the Islamic shari'a law." Though he did emphasize that this was in accordance with a previously stated position, it did seem a rebuff to Crown Prince Nayef.