Breaking Barriers: Saudi Arabia's Female Olympic Athletes

August 04, 2012 from Al Arabiya

For the first time in Olympic history, female athletes are represented in every country competing in the London games. Judo athlete Wojdan Shahrkhani and 800-meter runner Sarah Attar are the first females to represent Saudi Arabia in the summer games. Their presence reflects an unprecedented move from the Saudi Arabia Olympic committee, which banned female athletes from the Olympics ever since the kingdom first started participating in the games in 1972.

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2012 London Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and commonly known as London 2012, was a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee. It took place in London, Unit... Explore this topic

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area and the second-largest in the Arab world. It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates ... Explore this topic

Women in Islam

The study of women in Islam investigates the role of women within the religion of Islam. The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by Islamic texts, the history and culture of the Muslim world. The Qur'an states that both men and women are equal, but also, as... Explore this topic

Olympic Games

The modern Olympic Games is the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition with mor... Explore this topic

Women in Arab societies

Women in the Arab world, as in other areas of the world, have throughout history experienced discrimination and have been subject to restrictions of their freedoms and rights. Some of these practices are based on religious beliefs, but many of the limitations are cultural and ... Explore this topic

Women's Rights

Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls of many societies worldwide. In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed. They differ from bro... Explore this topic

Judo

Judo is a modern martial art, combat and Olympic sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objective is to either throw or takedown an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with ... Explore this topic

Al Arabiya

Al Arabiya is a Saudi-owned pan-Arab television news channel broadcast in Modern Standard Arabic. Launched on 3 March 2003, the channel is based in Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates, and is majority-owned by the Saudi broadcaster Middle East Broadcasting Center. General m... Explore this topic

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Women's rights in Saudi Arabia

2012 London Olympics

Saudi Arabia

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