Shaherkani took up judo because of her father, a judo referee. Her first international competition was the
2012 London Olympics.
2012 Summer 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, who competed in the
women's 800 metres. 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. Other judoka in the competition had attained
black belts in the sport; Shaherkani only had a blue belt (二級 nikyū), two levels below a black belt. The IOC president
Jacques Rogge said of Shahrkhani's and Attar's inclusion, "The I.O.C. 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 Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee chose not to promote Shahrkhani's participation. They also required that she "dress modestly, be accompanied by a male guardian and not mix with men" while in London for the 2012 Games. On 30 July 2012, Shahrkhani said that she would withdraw from the event if she was not permitted to wear her
hijab during bouts. Her father (who often speaks for her, partially because she does not know English) clarified that he wanted his daughter to compete, and that they wanted to make "new history for Saudi's women", but that she would not participate without a hijab. The next day the IOC and the
International Judo Federation announced that agreement had been reached on a hijab that she could wear. The design agreed upon was a tight-fitting, cap-style covering, rather than the more common headscarf which drapes around the neck and under the chin. Her first match was in the Round of 32, which was an elimination round, on 3 August, the seventh day of competition at the Olympics. Wearing white, lasting longer than the shortest match in her weight class, which lasted 48 seconds where
Mika Sugimoto of Japan beat
Maria Suelen Altheman of Brazil. The match was refereed by Wilian Rosquet, and judged by Young Chun Jeon and Cathy Mouette. There were no penalties awarded in the match. She also stated that, because she was not accustomed to fighting in such large tournaments and because of the debate over the hijab, it had been difficult for her to focus on the competition. Despite this, she clarified that she was happy to have participated and planned to continue to practise judo in the future. Although her fight was not televised live on any local Saudi television channels, it was available within the Kingdom on several satellite networks broadcasting from other parts of the Arab world. ==References==