In Friday's opening ceremonies, Ms. Shaherkani and Ms. Attar marched in Saudi Arabia's delegation behind the men.

WSJ: Menu

Former Sonatrach boss Abdelmajid Attar has told Algeria's Le Soir's newspaper that BP and Statoil - which evacuated their foreign staff after the siege - risked huge financial losses if they disinvested from In Amenas.

BBC: In Amenas siege: Is Algeria's economy under threat?

American viewers, I have no doubt, would cherish the opportunity to learn more about the first women to compete for Saudi Arabia, Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani and Sarah Attar, who represent a country where women are not only banned from participating in sports, they're even banned from watching sports events in major stadiums.

CNN: Americans miss out on the best of the Games