London Olympics - IOC Hails Saudi Decision to Send Female Athletes; Extra Military Personnel

(ATR) The IOC confirms that Saudi Arabia will send two female athletes to compete at the London Olympics, making this Games the first ever to include women athletes from all competing countries.

Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani will compete in the judo +78kg category and Sarah Attar in the 800m.

The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee entered the athletes by the official deadline of July 9, the IOC said.

"This is very positive news and we will be delighted to welcome these two athletes in London in a few weeks time," said IOC president Jacques Rogge.

Attar, 17, said she was honored to be competing for her country at London 2012. "A big inspiration for participating in the Olympic Games is being one of the first women for Saudi Arabia to be going," she said at her training base in San Diego, USA. "It’s such a huge honor and I hope that it can really make some big strides for women over there to get more involved in sport."

The IOC has been in talks with the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee for months to ensure the participation of Saudi women at the Games. The United Nations was also applying pressure on Saudi's rulers to send a minimum of one or two female representatives to London.

In recent weeks, the Gulf state's leaders and Olympic committee put out confusing messages about lifting the ban on allowing women to compete at the Olympics. Saudi's religious conservatives object to the participation of women in sports.

Rogge said: "The IOC 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. The IOC has been striving to ensure a greater gender balance at the Olympic Games, and today’s news can be seen as an encouraging evolution."

Saudi Arabia is one of only three countries never to field a female Olympian. The others, Qatar and Brunei, are already committed to sending women athletes to compete at London 2012.

"With Saudi Arabian female athletes now joining their fellow female competitors from Qatar and Brunei Darussalam, it means that by London 2012 every National Olympic Committee will have sent women to the Olympic Games," Rogge added.

Brunei Darussalam has entered Maziah Mahusin (athletics), while Qatar has entered Nada Arkaji (swimming), Noor Al-Malki (athletics), Aya Magdy (table tennis) and Bahiya Al-Hamad (shooting).

The Qatar Olympic Committee today confirmed that Al-Hamad will be the nation's flag-bearer at the London Games opening ceremony on July 27.

"I will exert all my efforts to honor my country and people at such glorious moments in the London 2012 Olympic Games," she said in a statement posted on the QOC's website.

Qatar's Olympics delegation includes eight male and four female athletes.

Extra Military Personnel Drafted In

The U.K.'s defence secretary confirmed Thursday that an extra 3,500 military personnel will be deployed during the Olympics following concerns over insufficient plans for venue security.

Philip Hammond said in a statement today that concerns had arisen about the ability of G4S, the Olympics security provider, "to deliver the required number of guards for all the venues within the timescales available".

"Ministers have been monitoring this situation and, where necessary, preparing contingency measures. G4S has now agreed that it would be prudent to deploy additional military support to provide greater reassurance," he said.

"The Home Secretary, Culture Secretary and I have therefore agreed the deployment of a further 3,500 military personnel."

It brings the total number of military personnel to beef up security for the Games to 17,000.

"Ministers across Government recognise the burden that this additional short-notice deployment will impose upon individual service men and womenand their families, especially over the summer holiday season," he said, noting that the government would ensure all those involved would receive their full holiday entitlement, even if it had to be rescheduled, and that no one was out of pocket due to cancelled personal arrangements.

Hammond confirmed that there neither any specific threat to the Games nor an increased threat to the Olympics.

"We are confident that the U.K. is ready and able to provide a safe and secure Olympic Games for the whole world to enjoy," he added.

Speaking in the House of Commons today, Home Secretary Theresa May denied that Olympics security would be compromised because of the failure of G4S to train enough staff for venue security.

She said the shortfall in security staff only became clear on Wednesday.

"The Government's overriding priority is to use all resources necessary to deliver a safe and secure Olympic Games and that's what the public and the House would expect," she said

"The security operation has been meticulously planned, it will be the largest and most complex security operation in this country since the Second World War."

G4S may find its payment docked due to its failure to deliver on promised security. That decision will fall to LOCOG who inked the contract.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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