SHARJAH // It has been a challenging road for its organisers and the athletes, but next month the second edition of the Arab Women’s Sports Tournament will go ahead.
Speaking at the event’s launch on Tuesday, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed, chairman of the organising committee, said it was a big achievement to have managed to expand the event this year when it had met so much opposition in its founding.
“Organising a sports tournament for women is not a straightforward task in many societies. Initially, there was resistance to the idea and many thought it an impossible mission, but the women involved have proved they can overcome these difficulties,” he said.
“The athletes in the first tournament achieved impressive results which has inspired the continuation and expansion of this one. This event is an accomplishment for Emirati and Arab women.”
This year, 15 countries – five more than last year and including Jordan and Oman – will compete when the event begins on February 2 with 48 clubs from around the region taking part. Two more sports have been added and almost double the number of athletes will compete, 900 compared with 500.
Sheikh Khalid said the participation of women in sport was merely an extension of the importance of women in Emirati society, from government to the labour market.
Sumaya Al Bloushi, 28, bears testament to the challenges women face in reaching a competitive level in sport.
A police shooting trainer, she began shooting eight years ago through her job and began recreational and competitive shooting just four years ago. She works part time so she has three hours every evening to practice.
“In the beginning my family refused for me to do this because of the travelling, the competing itself and the clothes I must wear to do this sport. It took two years to get their support. They saw my [21-year-old] sister and I were doing well in the sport and they began to change their minds,” she said.
Once she found success in tournaments, attitudes began to change.
There are a small number of women in the sport.
“I am very proud of myself doing this as there are so few of us,” Ms Al Bloushi said. “It’s something I hope inspires other Emirati women as it can be conducive with their lives. If they work, like me, they can train in the evenings.”
Some of the UAE team are mothers while others are full-time students, juggling their commitments to achieve their goals.
Majda Al Baloushi, 21, is the UAE’s table tennis champion and competed at the world championships in Dubai for her first international event. In addition, she studies architectural engineering full time at the University of Sharjah. Ms Al Baloushi has been playing since 2001 and is competing for the second time in the Arab tournament, the only one of its kind in the world.
“It’s hard to do it all but I’m doing my best to find the balance,” she said. “This tournament encourages other Emirati women to be athletes and to participate. It’s so important for Arab women and really is a great opportunity for women in the UAE. It gives sport the support it needs.”
Alanoud Mabrouk Alsaadi, a full-time biotechnology student at the University of Sharjah, is on the fencing team, one of the new sports this year. At 20, she is the oldest on the team, the youngest is just 12 years old. It is her first time competing in such a tournament and she hopes to learn from the experience.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the other teams and to learn from competing with them,” she said. “I want to do something for my country.”
mswan@thenational.ae
