Arab women's sports witnessing a new phase of tangible development

Nada Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of the Supreme Organising Committee for the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST), Head of the Executive Committee and Tournament Manager has said that the growing official and community attention towards promoting women’s sports has greatly contributed to the development we see now. 

She said, “Arab women’s sports is witnessing remarkable progress in various Arab countries, marking a new phase of real development towards advancing their performance to the level of professionalism that enables them to compete globally. This progress has clearly been reflected through the results sportswomen and female athletes achieved in local, Arab and international tournaments and sporting events.”

Nada Al Naqbi made these remarks during an internal meeting, held as part of the Organising Committee’s preparations for the third Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2016), which will take place in Sharjah from 2nd -12th February. The 2016 tournament will see the participation of 56 clubs from 17 countries, which will compete for the title in basketball, volleyball, table tennis, fencing, archery, shooting, athletics and showjumping.

Al Naqbi pointed out that the tournament’s main aim is to encourage Arab women to practice sports and for some to become professional sportswomen. It also aims to develop and promote women’s sports at the highest level and provide opportunities for competition and to highlight the efforts of Sharjah and the UAE in supporting women’s sports.

She added that the participation of Emirati women in sporting activities is an excellent opportunity for them to develop their skills. “We are very excited about Emirati women’s participation in this edition in light of the support and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, who works hard to advance Arab women in all areas.”

Al Naqbi praised the efforts made by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher in promoting community awareness about the importance of women's sports as a lifestyle, its promotion in the UAE, and her continuous support to enable women to enter the playing field. “Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher encourages women to regularly engage in sports activities due to the numerous health benefits, as well as motivates them to represent their country and raise its profile in international arenas,” Al Naqbi said.

Al Naqbi also said, “All the competition’s committees work in harmony under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher. The Supreme Organising Committee is all set to receive the participating delegations, manage the competitions and ensure the organizing of a very exceptional edition that reflects the keen interest the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE pay to women’s sports and promote it locally and in all Arab countries.”

Al Naqbi added, “Emirati women have so far made many achievements and are determined to make further accomplishments, thanks to the great support of the UAE’s wise leadership, especially the care and support extended by the Mother of the UAE, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, Chairperson of the General Women's Union and Chairwoman of Motherhood and Childhood Supreme Council.” 

Al Naqbi added that the UAE has always supported women on all levels and in various domains. “Emirati sportswomen enjoy support and are provided with all forms of care that qualify them to continue to practice group or individual sports. This is demonstrated in the Arab Women Sports Tournament during which we will see Emirati athletes competing in all eight sports,” she said.

Al Naqbi added, “GCC women achieved qualitative leaps in various individual and group sports after they made achievements that lived up to their ambitions. GCC women are empowered with a strong desire to develop further and appear in sporting events globally. They always aspire to raise the profile of the GCC and Arab sports on the global stage because the ambitions of GCC women have no limits, and we wish them greater progress and success.”

Speaking about the latest developments, Al Naqbi said that more games would be added in the upcoming editions with an aim to expand the number of participants and develop the Tournament further.  She said, “The Arab Women Sports Tournament, the only one of its kind in the Arab World, may involve new sports in its upcoming editions as we always strive for continuous improvement in form and content. The long term goal of the tournament is to advance Arab women's sports and we welcome any suggestions for adding other games that can contribute to developing the competitions in the next editions.”

She praised the role of sponsors in supporting the tournament as an inseparable part of its success, as well as their contribution to making it very special. The 3rd edition is sponsored by 16 leading national organisations in the UAE. Al Naqbi continued by saying, “We seek to make the tournament a success that rises to the UAE's ambitions under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and to enhance its internationally acclaimed reputation.”

She highlighted the major role of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who built a solid infrastructure for women's sports in the country. Al Naqbi also referred to the role played by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, in supporting women's sports, due to the importance of sports in the physical and mental wellbeing of women.

She continued, “The 2016 tournament aims to strengthen efforts exerted to improve the performance of Arab women’s clubs, leading to sports achievements regionally and internationally, as well as to create competitive sports awareness among women and Arab society, so as to highlight the benefits of exercising and practicing sports.”

In conclusion, the Tournament Manager said, "We hope that the competitive spirit among participating players will contribute to encouraging Emirati women athletes to gain more experience and skills to become more able to compete regionally and globally,"  

Kuwait and Oman are the latest countries to sign up for AWST 2016, this brings the number of clubs to 57 and the number of Arab countries participating in the tournament to 17, including Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Palestine, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Iraq, Tunis, Morocco, Sudan, and the host country, the UAE.