Muslim Female Olympians from the Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s, Brunei's and Qatar’s decision to send female athletes to London makes the 2012 Games the first where every country has a woman on its team.

Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani — Saudi ArabiaShaherkani gestures as she walks with the Saudi contingent during the London Games’ Opening Ceremonies. Saudi Arabia's first female Olympic athletes dressed in traditional hijabs for the festivities. International Judo Federation President Marius L. Vizer said Shaherkani, 16, would have to fight without a hijab, a decision that is likely to cause controversy in Saudi Arabia, where women’s participation in sports has long been a contentious issue. Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters

Neda Shahsavari — Iran

Shahsavari, 25, Iran's first woman to compete in table tennis at the Olympics, eyes the ball during a practice session in Tehran in early July. Shahsavari said she was "thrilled" to be going to the London Games.

Atta Kenare / AFP/Getty Images

Isil Alben — Turkey

Turkish guard Alben, 26, right, vies with Angolan guard Catarina Camufal during a preliminary round Group A basketball match at the Summer Games. Turkey won 72-50

Sarah Alflaij — Bahrain

Alflaij listens to her coach, Tareq Jumaa, during a training session at Shaikh Khalifa Sports City’s pool in Isa Town, south of Manama, Bahrain’s capital. Alflaij, 16, is one of eight women who qualified to compete in the Games for Bahrain

Sarah Attar — Saudi Arabia

Attar, 19, enters the stadium during the Opening Ceremonies. The track athlete runs the women’s 800 meters.

Sara Mohamed Baraka and Fatma Rashed — Egypt

Baraka, 20, and Rashed, 28, compete in the lightweight double sculls competition at Eton Dorney in Windsor, England. Harry How / Getty Images

Bahya Mansour al-Hamad — Qatar

Hamad, 20, competes during a 10-meter air rifle qualification round at the Royal Artillery Barracks in London.

Khaled Desouki / AFP/Getty Images

Nurdan Karagoz — Turkey

Karagoz, 25, musters her strength during the 48-kilogram Group A weightlifting competition at the Summer Games. Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images

Neslihan Darnel — Turkey

Darnel, 28, spikes the ball as Qiuyue Wei, No. 8, and Yunwen Ma, No. 15., of China defend during women's volleyball at Earls Court in London. Elsa / Getty Images

Khadija Mohammad — United Arab Emirates

Coach Najwan al-Zawawi assists Khadija Mohammad, 17, during a practice in Dubai. Mohammad competes in weightlifting’s 75-kilogram category and is the first female lifter from the Persian Gulf region to compete in the Olympics. Kamran Jebreili / AP

Sarra Besbes — Tunisia

Besbes, 23, celebrates after a point against Xiaojuan Luo of China during an epee fencing round at the Summer Games. Hannah Johnston / Getty Images

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/middle-easts-female-olympians/2012/08/01/gJQAub4tPX_gallery.html#photo=14

Olympics 2012: Morocco's Sara El Bekri

Morocco's Sara El Bekri competes in a women's 100-meter breaststroke swimming heat at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Sunday, July 29, 2012. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29072012/5/photo/29072012121848.html

Olympics 2012: Pregnant Malaysian misses out on rifle shooting final

Eight-months pregnant Malaysian athlete Nur Suryani Mohamad Taibi has failed to make it to the Olympic 10m air rifle shooting final.

Suryani, 29, who is 33 weeks pregnant and is due to give birth on 13 September, finished in 34th position out of 56 competitors.

"When she kicks I breathe in and out and then continue," The BBC quoted Nur Suryani, as saying. When asked what she said to her daughter, who will be named Dayana Widyan, she said:, "Behave yourself, be calm, don't move so much. She always listened to me.

Suryani, who won a shooting gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and needed special permission to fly to London for the Games because she is so heavily pregnant, will be returning to Malaysia on 31 July.

However, despite her defeat, she described competing at the Royal Artillery Barracks as a dream come true and said she would carry on shooting after the birth.

"I will still carry on because this is already my life. What I've heard is that a mother after delivery has fresh blood so they can perform better, I believe. That's the luck of being a woman," she said.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_olympics-2012-pregnant-malaysian-misses-out-on-rifle-shooting-final_1721342