Saudi Arabia to Send Female Athletes to Olympics for the First Time

Saudi Arabia has answered to critics and will allow two women to compete at the 2012 London Olympics, which get underway in two weeks on July 27th.

Alas, Dalma Malhas*, 20, (pictured bottom), an Ohio resident with Saudi Arabian parents who was considered to be the most likely female athlete to break the gender barrier, is not among those two athletes because her horse was injured. Thus, she can not compete in women's equestrian events, in spite of her many international accomplishments in the sport.

However, Sarah Attar, 20 (pictured above), a California resident who attends Pepperdine University, will represent the kingdom nation in the 800-meter relay in track and field competition. Attar will compete while covering her head to comply with Saudi Arabia's orthodox Islamic conservatism. She told various media outlets that was thrilled to break the barrier.

The second going to the games for Saudi Arabia is Wadjan Shahrkhani, a competitor in women's judo.

Along with Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Qatar will be sending female athletes to the Olympics for the first time.

*Dalma Malhas' name was not spelled correctly in an earlier entry, hence we have two version of her name in our tags

Quote of the Day- John Quincy Adams

Dalma Malhans, the Saudi Arabian female equestrian athlete who tried to become her country's first female athlete at the Olympics is trending on Bing; alas, the same can not be said for John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), who was America's sixth president and the son of John Adams, the second president.

Before becoming president, the offspring Adams, who like his father was from Massachusetts, was ambassador to Russia and to the Netherlands, and several other countries.

Here is his quote, which is part of our series on quotes from the first eight American presidents:

"Old minds are like old horses, you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order."