Brunei, along with other Islamic countries Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were named at the UN in New York as those who have never been represented by female competitors since women made their debut in the Games at Paris in 1900.

Qatar responded immediately to the criticism by Anita DeFrantz, the chair of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Women and Sports Commission, by claiming that they were already planning to send a small team of women to London 2012 and now Brunei have said that they also hope to be represented there by female competitors.

Datin Hajah Adina Othman, the Deputy Minister at Brunei's Culture, Youth and Sports Ministry, has pointed to the country's record of sending women athletes to the other international events, including the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. 

The country, under Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, has recently tried to give more opportunities to women, including in education, healthcare and employment.

The biggest success of this scheme is Othman, the first woman to be given a senior role in Brunei's Cabinet.

She said: "Women athletes have the same opportunity as men.

"Nothing is holding us back."

Brunei, which is located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, earned its independence from Britain in 1984 and made its Olympic debut in Seoul four years later when they sent one official and no athletes.

They have subsequently missed the Games in 1992 and 2008, when they were expelled on the day of the Opening Ceremony in Beijing because they failed to register any athletes with the IOC.

When they have competed, the tiny country which has a population of less than 400,000 have never sent more than one athlete.

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