Faizel Patel – Cii News (13-07-12)

Two Saudi athletes Sarah Attar, an 800-meter runner, and judo competitor Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani have become the first women to represent Saudi Arabia at the 2012 London Olympics.

Gulf nations, Qatar and Brunei will also be crossing the gender barrier by sending female competitors.

The decision means that every nation in the world with a team will be sending female representatives to the London Games.

Attar, who is only 17 and trains the United States, told the official Olympic website, “A big inspiration for participating in the Olympic Games is being one of the first women for Saudi Arabia to be going.” She continued, “It’s such a huge honor and I hope that it can really make some big strides for women over there to get more involved in sport.”

IOC president Jacques Rogge said in a statement the IOC had been negotiating with Saudi Arabia over this issue for weeks and is delighted to welcome the two athletes in London in a few weeks time.