London, England: Friday, August 3, was a momentous day for the women and sport movement as female athletes from Asia attracted worldwide attention. Wojdan Shaherkani became the first female athlete to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Olympic Games when competing in the women’s judo +78kg. “I am excited and proud to be representing my country,” she said. “Unfortunately I lost but hopefully I will do better next time. Hopefully I will achieve a medal next time.

“I am very excited and it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Certainly the Saudi Arabian Judo Federation is delighted that I have been able to come here. Hopefully this will be the start of bigger participation for other sports also. Hopefully this is the start of a new era.”

The 16-year-old from Makkah admitted to feeling nervous by the raucous crowd at the ExCeL Arena but was very appreciative of the support she received before, during and after her elimination round defeat to Melissa Mojica (Puerto Rico).

“I am proud to be the first Saudi woman to compete at the Olympic Games and I am very thankful for all the audience and all the crowd who supported me and stood behind me. I hope to be at the next Olympics. I will practise more,” she added. Hani Kamal Najim, President of the Saudi Arabian Judo Federation, said they were very proud of her. “We have a very good memory. There was a lot of pressure,” he said.

“We are very proud of her being a woman in the Olympic Games, and certainly it is a good start. Hopefully it will progress from here. She certainly felt the pressure, but she has handled herself so well. She’s got a great future ahead of her. “This is the start of a long-lasting history of looking towards the future.” On the first day of the athletics programme, Afghanistan’s Tahmina Kohistani competed in the women’s 100m preliminary round.

“I am grateful to be the only female athlete competing for my country. It is a dream come true,” she said. Regarding her role as an ambassador for female athletes in Afghanistan, she replied: “I want them to come and join me. It has been very difficult for me; I have had lots of problems. “I hope the next generation of women will be proud of me and that they will never forget me.”

There was disappointment for Qatar’s Noor Hussain Al Malki, who pulled up in her 100m heat with a sore right hamstring after only a couple of strides. Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are sending female athletes to the Olympics for the first time in London, meaning all 204 NOCs have female athletes in their teams for the first time in history.