CAIRO: One of the Saudi Arabia female athletes given a special invitation to participate in the London Olympics may be in jeopardy after the International Judo Federation said Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani could not wear her headscarf during competition. Federation president Marius Vizer announced Thursday that the woman could not fight with a headscarf, arguing the move was “according to the principles and spirit of judo.” IJF spokesman Nicolas Messner said it was also due to safety concerns. “In judo we use strangleholds and chokeholds so the hijab could be dangerous,” Messner said. He added that the martial art has no inclination to support or antagonism any religion and judges are only looking at the safety and integrity of the sport,” added Messner. But it does not fit with previous competitions elsewhere in the world, where Asian judo federations have previously allowed Muslim women to wear the hijab during major competitions. “The only difference between competitors should be their level of judo,” he said, explaining that the grappling and throwing sport aims to be nonpolitical. Saudi government officials only allowed women to participate in the Olympics if they were to be allowed to wear “appropriate” clothing. The move by the judo advisory board could mean at least one of the Saudi women in London might not even participate. Shahrkhani has never fought at the international level before and has mostly been coached by her father, a judo referee.