Saudi female athletes to compete in London 2012

Sara Attar trains for the women's 800m. Photo courtesy IOC website

LAUSANNE, July 12, 2012  The IOC  has received confirmation from the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee that two female athletes will compete for Saudi Arabia at the London Games this summer. The two athletes are: - Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani  - judo, women’s +78kg - Sarah Attar - athletics, women’s 800m The athletes, invited by the IOC, were entered by the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee by the official deadline of 9 July. “This is very positive news and we will be delighted to welcome these two athletes in London in a few weeks time,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. ”The IOC has been working very closely with the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and I am pleased to see that our continued dialogue has come to fruition.  The IOC has been striving to ensure a greater gender balance at the Olympic Games, and today’s news can be seen as an encouraging evolution. With Saudi Arabian female athletes now joining their fellow female competitors from Qatar and Brunei Darussalam, it means that by London 2012 every National Olympic Committee will have sent women to the Olympic Games,” he added.   Broadcast quality footage of Sarah Attar (Saudi Arabia), Bahiya Al-Hamad (Qatar), Nada Arkaji (Qatar), Maziah Mahusin (Brunei Darussalam) and the IOC President will be available later on today