In June 2011 Saudi women mounted a symbolic protest drive in defiance of the ban on female car drivers. A few months later, King Abdullah did announce more rights for women, including the right to vote, stand in municipal elections and to be appointed to the consultative Shura Council - the most influential political body. In September 2011, the king overturned a sentence of 10 lashes on a woman who was found guilty of driving - the first time that a legal punishment had been handed down for violation of the ban on women drivers.[29] Saudi Arabia agreed to allow its women athletes to compete in the 2012 Olympics for the first time, amidst speculation that the entire Saudi team might have been disqualified on grounds of gender discrimination.[30]