SHARJAH 23 April 2017: In a move towards expanding sporting excellence for female athletes, the next edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament is to feature karate alongside the event’s traditional eight sports.
The Higher Organising Committee of the tournament agreed the addition before announcing that the Sharjah Women Sports Foundation (SWSF) has been endorsed by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees as the official organiser.
The tournament, held every two years, is scheduled to take place from 2-12 February, 2018 in Sharjah
The announcement was made during the first meeting of the tournament’s Organising Committee which was held yesterday (Wednesday) at the headquarters of SWSF. The committee approved the addition of karate for the first time, adding to the existing sports of basketball, volleyball, table tennis, fencing, archery, shooting, athletics, and show jumping.
The committee also approved the organisational structure of its members, with Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Qasimi being the Chairman. Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of SWSF is the Vice Chairman and Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Muhairi, Member of the Committee as Head of the Doping Control Committee. Khalid Ibrahim Al Nashi, Khalid Al Hussein and Salem Nasser Al Habsi have been named as Members of the Committee.
Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed said: “We are delighted to announce the starting date of the fourth Arab Women Sports Tournament and the inclusion of a martial art which opens the door to a new branch of Arab female athletes.
“One of our primary objectives is to encourage diversity as well as the highest levels of sporting prowess and this provides an excellent opportunity for women to demonstrate their world-class skills and inspire others to consider the sport for themselves.”
Nada Askar Al Naqbi said: “The Arab Women Sports Tournament has achieved impressive results over the past three editions in terms of the number of participating countries and sports clubs as well as the efficiency of the organising and technical committees.”
She added: “We expect the fourth edition will build on that success and enhance the sports landscape not only in Sharjah, but across the UAE and the Arab world as a whole.”
The tournament was initially launched after the Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC) organised a series of successful sports events under the title, ‘Gulf States Competitions’, in which all GCC countries took part. It also followed the decision issued by Shaikha Jawaher in 2008 to establish a new department under the name Women’s Sports Department.
In the wake of the significant successes achieved by ‘GCC Competitions’, it was transformed it into a pan-Arab tournament to be held once every two years with the aim of uplifting women’s sports in the Arab region. The tournament is open to all Arab countries. The first edition was held in 2012.
By Sports Staff