This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Saudi Arabia's Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani will be able to compete in the judo wearing some form of headscarf, despite fears over her personal safety.

The Saudis had sent their two first female Olympians to the London Games on condition they adhered to the kingdom's conservative Islamic traditions, including wearing a headscarf.

Judo officials had said a headscarf could be dangerous because the sport includes choke-holds and aggressive grabbing techniques.

However on Tuesday International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials said an agreement had been reached that cleared the way for Shahrkhani to compete on Friday in the women's heavyweight division.

Shahrkhani, who is competing in the +78kg category, and 800m runner Sarah Attar are the only two female competitors from the kingdom, which has traditionally only selected male athletes.

Mark Adams, IOC communications director, said: "I can confirm that the federation and the national Olympic committee … have a solution that works for all parties involved."

Asked what the solution involved, he said: "As you know, the judo federation in Asia does allow for some headscarves. It is a version that is safety compliant but also allows for cultural sensitivity.

"In Asian judo it's a common practice, so they asked for something that would be compliant with that, and the judo federation has reached a compromise they're both happy with."

He added: "We helped bring them together.

"Our aim is that we want to have women from all national Olympic committees competing in the Games and clearly one of those ones that will be new here will be Saudi.

"We want to make sure we can give the maximum chance for women from every national Olympic committee to take part in the Games."