Just before 10.30am here in the cavernous ExCeL centre, a woman in a woven black head cap and bulky white judo suit walked out onto Mat 1 to begin her fight against a Puerto Rican opponent.

Her name was Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani (pictured above) and she was about to become the first female athlete from the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to compete at an Olympic Games.

The focus on the 16-year-old's headgear was as a result of a compromise reached this week between the International Judo Federation (IJF) and Saudi officials, opening the door for her to compete while obeying Islamic dress code, but without wearing a headscarf.

This was seen as too dangerous given the nature of the combat sport.

After loud but respectful applause from the good-naturedly boisterous crowd, the women's heavyweight (78kg and above) contest got under way and the women started circling and slapping each other on the square yellow mat.

It was soon over – after these tentative preliminaries, the blue-jacketed Melissa Mojica soon got a grip on her opponent's collar and flipped her onto her back.

This potent episode of Olympic symbolism had lasted exactly 82 seconds.

In the media seats, the stampede to the "mixed zone", where athletes and journalists can speak, was immediate.

This too proved an anti-climax.

After a lengthy wait, while bear-like men in judo suits made their way away from the mats, glistening with sweat after their respective fights, Shaherkani was hustled quickly through by her entourage, wearing a blank expression.

Saudi Arabia's Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani (white) competes with Puerto Rico's Melissa Mojica at ExCeL

Later, a series of "flash quotes" was circulated by the London 2012 information service.

Shaherkani said she was "scared a lot" because of the large crowd and lost the fight "because this is the first time".

She was "excited and proud to be representing my country".

"It was the opportunity of a lifetime...

"The Saudi Arabia judo federation are delighted that I have been able to come here.

"Hopefully this will be the start of bigger participation for other sports also.

"Hopefully this is the beginning of a new era."

Hani Kamal Najm, a Saudi official, said: "We are very proud of her being a woman in the Olympics...

"It's a good start and hopefully it will progress from here onwards."

Noor Hussain Al-Malki of Qatar became one of the first ever female athletes to represent the country at an Olympics

The symbolic importance of her appearance did not prevent questions immediately being raised with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as to whether athletes such as Shaherkani and Noor Hussain Al-Malki, a Qatari sprinter who failed to complete her heat in the preliminary round of the women's 100 metres, were good enough competitors to justify inclusion in an Olympic Games.

Mark Adams for the IOC retorted that we should be "celebrating" the presence of female athletes from countries which had not sent women to compete at the Games before.

"It is a great message in those countries and we are entirely happy about that," Adams said.

He believed the Qatari athlete had an injury.

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