Sarah Attar … competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the first female Olympians representing Saudi Arabia. She has Saudi Arabian and American dual nationality and is currently a student at Pepperdine University in … California. …
… the International Olympic Committee had threatened to ban Saudi Arabia from the Games unless they allowed women to compete. She was expected to wear outfits that comply with Islamic law. …
During the Opening Ceremonies’ Parade of Nations, Attar and Shahrkhani, the only two females in the Saudi Arabian delegation, were forced to walk behind their male teammates, unlike delegations from other Islamic nations. …
… 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. …
… “This is such a huge honor and an amazing experience, just to be representing the women,” Attar said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I know that this can make a huge difference.”
… “For women in Saudi Arabia, I think this can really spark something to get more involved in sports, to become more athletic,” she said. …
Because she’s on a college track team, Attar knows all about this year’s 40th anniversary of Title IX, the barrier-breaking law that opened doors in sports for women in the United States. For the first time this year, women outnumbered men on the U.S. Olympic team.
Nobody is dreaming about making that kind of history yet in Saudi Arabia.
Every grand mission, however, has to start somewhere. …
National Post – Sarah Attar becomes Saudi Arabia’s first female Olympian on the track
Gymnastics Coaching.com 