Until the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Saudi Arabia was one of three countries that had never had a female competitor at the games.

[1] The Olympic committee had previously released a list of potential candidates for the games which included females.

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.

"[8] The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee preferred not to promote Shahrkhani's participation.

They also required that she "dress modestly, be accompanied by a male guardian and not mix with men" while in London for the 2012 Games.