Restricted Sports For Viewing

Recently I came across a statement by a mufti (mufti (Arabic: مفتى‎) is an Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law (Sharia), capable of issuing fatwa) that men could still watch women athletes as long as they are dressed decently. Why this statement arose?

PAS, an Islamic political party in Malaysia, was organising a Malaysian All-Women Games this coming weekend. The PAS's state women and sports committee chairman Abdul Fatah Mahmood mentioned that men can only attend the opening ceremony but NOT the individual sporting events. Did I read it wrongly or did the press published the wrong words? (source: The Star)

I can bet for sure that the attendance for the sporting events will be real bad. I wonder how is PAS going to re-coup the money dumped into organising this sporting events then if the ticket sales are restricted to women only. Most women are either housewives or working mothers and do you think they will take time off to watch a local women-only sporting events. I'm not against PAS's view to ensure that men don't lust by watching women participating in sports. Maybe they can implement a new competition ruling that women athletes must wear certain sporting outfits rather than prohibiting men from viewing the sporting events.

I joked with my malay colleague that he would be barred from watching the following women's sporting events in the coming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games:-
1) Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo, Swimming & Diving;
2) Volleyball
3) Athletics
4) Cycling
5) Gymnastics
6) Tennis
7) Rowing
and especially 8) Beach Volleyball

To which he responded "Only can watch Archery then? Anyway, for a mufti to have said something, it's a very strong issue already"

I'm wondering whether it's intended as a sporting event or a way to tell muslims that PAS is very pious with some subliminal message too. But kudos to PAS for taking the effort in trying to organise such an event. Seriously speaking, how did they picked the participating athletes? From which qualifying events? Please enlighten me.
Tags: PAS, Islamic, Mufti, Malaysian All-Women Games, Beijing 2008, Sports, Women