Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani was one of just two women competing for Saudi Arabia at the games, the first time the country has sent female athletes at all.
She was only able to compete in judo after a compromise between Olympic organizers, the international judo federation and Saudi officials that cleared the way for her to wear a modified hijab. Judo officials had said a headscarf could be dangerous because the sport includes choke-holds and aggressive grabbing techniques.
For Sarah Attar, the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete in track and field at the Olympics, the principle was more important than the performance.
“This is such a huge honor and an amazing experience, just to be representing the women,” Attar said. “I know that this can make a huge difference.”
The 19-year-old Attar ran 800m in 2min 44.95sec but to her, the time wasn’t the point. Her mother is American and her father is Saudi. Attar wanted to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics as a way of inspiring women.
“For women in Saudi Arabia, I think this can really spark something to get more involved in sports, to become more athletic,” she said. “Maybe in the next Olympics, we can have a very strong team to come.”
This year, under pressure from the International Olympic Committee, Saudi Arabia broke its practice of fielding male-only teams by entering Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani in judo and Attar in track and field. Saudi Arabia is one of three Islamic countries, along with Qatar and Brunei, that brought female athletes for the first time, making this the first Olympics in which every national team includes a woman.
For more information on this and the games, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/.