Saudi Arabia doubles female Olympic athletes from 2 to 4

FILE -- In this Aug. 8, 2012 file photo, Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar prepares to compete in a women's 800-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London. Saudi Arabia will send four women to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, doubling its female participation after two females took part in the 2012 London Games for the first time. Two of the athletes will participate in track and field, one in judo and one in fencing, Hosam al-Qurashi, executive director of the Saudi Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press Sunday, July 31, 2016. Among the four is Sarah Attar, who was the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete in Olympic track and field in 2012. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) FILE -- In this Aug. 8, 2012 file photo, Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar prepares to compete in a women's 800-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London. Saudi Arabia will send four women to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, doubling its female participation after two females took part in the 2012 London Games for the first time. Two of the athletes will participate in track and field, one in judo and one in fencing, Hosam al-Qurashi, executive director of the Saudi Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press Sunday, July 31, 2016. Among the four is Sarah Attar, who was the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete in Olympic track and field in 2012. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

By Associated Press July 31, 2016 3 min read

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Saudi Arabia will send four women to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, doubling its female participation after two women competed for the first time at the 2012 London Games.

Hosam al-Qurashi, executive director of the Saudi Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press on Sunday that two of the women will participate in track and field, one in judo and one in fencing.

The track and field athletes are Sarah Attar, who competed in 2012, and Cariman Abu al-Jadail. Judoka Wujud Fahmi and fencer Lubna al-Omair are the other competitors.

Attar, Abu al-Jadail and Fahmi have been training in the United States, where they are students. Al-Omair will be traveling to Rio from the eastern Saudi city of Khobar.

The decision to double the number of women athletes comes amid a backdrop of incremental, significant openings for Saudi women, including the right to vote and run as candidates for the first time in the country’s elections for municipal council seats in December.