Wojdan Shaherkani
Shaherkani at the 2012 Olympics
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1 February 1996 Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) (2012) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Sport | Judo |
| Event(s) | +78 kg |
Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani (or "Shaherkani"; Arabic: وجدان علي سراج الدين شهرخاني; born 1 February 1996) is a Saudi judo competitor who was one of two women selected to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Her inclusion in the games came after the International Olympic Committee put pressure on the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee to include women on their team. The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee imposed special rules on Shaherkhani related to how to behave while representing Saudi Arabia at the 2012 Games. At the time of the competition, she had only attained a blue belt, having practised judo for just two years.
Shaherkani took up judo because of her father, a judo referee. By 2012, she had attained a blue belt. Her first international competition was the 2012 London Olympics.
Shahrkhani was one of two Saudi Arabian women selected to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London, United Kingdom. She competed in judo in the above 78 kg event. The other Saudi woman selected was Pepperdine University-based runner Sarah Attar.
Shahrkhani was invited to compete by specific invitation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as she was not eligible based on international and regional ranking criteria. The top 14 women in each weight class based on international rankings automatically qualified, while 8 women across all classes from Asia qualified based on the contintental rankings, with 20 total additional spots available through special invitation of the IOC, ANOC and the IJF. Unlike most Olympic competitors, she did not win her spot through a national competition because Saudi Arabia strongly discourages women from participating in sport, and thus no such competitions for women exist in the country. Other judoka in the competition had attained black belts in the sport; Shaherkani only had a blue belt.
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