(Yahoo!Sports) LONDON – The two historic athletes who became the first women to ever represent Saudi Arabia in the Olympic Games have been snubbed by their nation's media and subjected to a campaign of hate.
Sarah Attar ran the 800 meters on the Olympic Stadium track and Wojdan Shaherkani competed in judo earlier in the Games after the Saudi government relented its strict stance on women competing following international pressure.
Attar finished last in her heat and Shaherkani lost her opening bout with both gaining huge worldwide attention. However, back in Saudi Arabia, the approach was very different.
"We were the only newspaper to write about it," said Hahled Al-Maeena, editor of the English language publication Saudi Gazette, in a telephone conversation with Yahoo! Sports. "I believe these girls are heroines and we should celebrate as a nation. Unfortunately, other people do not agree."