<P> In 2008, Ali Al - Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, likewise called for Saudi Arabia to be barred from the Games, describing its ban on women athletes as a violation of the International Olympic Committee charter . He noted: "For the last 15 years, many international nongovernmental organisations worldwide have been trying to lobby the IOC for better enforcement of its own laws banning gender discrimination...While their efforts did result in increasing numbers of women Olympians, the IOC has been reluctant to take a strong position and threaten the discriminating countries with suspension or expulsion ." In July 2010, The Independent reported: "Pressure is growing on the International Olympic Committee to kick out Saudi Arabia, who are likely to be the only major nation not to include women in their Olympic team for 2012...Should Saudi Arabia...send a male - only team to London, we understand they will face protests from equal rights and women's groups which threaten to disrupt the Games". </P> <P> At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Great Britain, for the first time in Olympic history, every country competing included female athletes . Saudi Arabia included two female athletes in its delegation; Qatar, four; and Brunei, one (Maziah Mahusin, in the 400m hurdles). Qatar made one of its first female Olympians, Bahiya al - Hamad (shooting), its flagbearer at the 2012 Games, and runner Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain became the first Gulf female athlete to win a medal when she won a bronze for her showing in the 1500 m race . </P> <P> The only sport on the Olympic programme that features men and women competing together is the equestrian disciplines . There is no "Women's Eventing", or' Men's Dressage' . As of 2008, there were still more medal events for men than women . With the addition of women's boxing to the programme in the 2012 Summer Olympics, however, female athletes were able to compete in all the same sports as men . In the winter Olympics, women are still unable to compete in the Nordic Combined . There are currently two Olympic events in which male athletes may not compete: synchronised swimming and rhythmic gymnastics . </P> <P> Three Olympiads had to pass without a celebration of the Games because of war: the 1916 Games were cancelled because of World War I, and the summer and winter games of 1940 and 1944 were cancelled because of World War II . The Russo - Georgian War between Georgia and Russia erupted on the opening day of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing . Both President Bush and Prime Minister Putin were attending the Olympics at that time and spoke together about the conflict at a luncheon hosted by Chinese president Hu Jintao . When Nino Salukvadze of Georgia won the bronze medal in the 10 metre air pistol competition, she stood on the medal podium with Natalia Paderina, a Russian shooter who had won the silver . In what became a much - publicised event from the Beijing Games, Salukvadze and Paderina embraced on the podium after the ceremony had ended . </P>

How does an athlete get to participate in the olympic games