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Saudi woman swims across Red Sea to draw attention to coral reefs

Mariam bin Laden became the first Arab woman to swim across the Red Sea and reach Egypt, accompanying UN Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh, part of a campaign to raise awareness of the need to preserve coral reefs amid climate change.
Endurance swimmers Mariam bin Laden (C) and Lewis Pugh (R) following their swim across the Red Sea. The two swam from Saudi Arabia to Egypt to raise awareness of the region's endangered coral reefs.

CAIRO — In mid-October, Saudi swimmer Mariam bin Laden swam across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to Egypt in an effort to raise awareness and draw attention to the importance of preserving coral reefs, before Egypt hosts the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in November.

She became the first Arab and Saudi woman to swim across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to Egypt.

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