Arab Women Sports Tournament Explores Collaboration With Saudi Sports Organizations

A delegation comprised of high-level members of the Supreme Organising Committee for the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST), headed by Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Committee, met with a number of Saudi Arabian sports bodies and organisations to strengthen collaboration and increase the number of Saudi athletes who will participate in the fourth edition of AWST 2018. The event will be hosted in Sharjah from 2-12 February, 2018.

During their visit to the Kingdom, the delegation met separately with Prince Talal bin Badr bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, President of the Arab Sports Council and Chairman of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees (UANOC), and Princess Reema bint Bander bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Undersecretary of the General Authority for Sports Planning and Development. They discussed potential joint initiatives and ways to develop women’s sports in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider Arab region in general.

The delegation, which was comprised of Sheikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Member of Bahraini National Olympic Committee and Chairperson of the tournament’s Follow Up and Supervision Committee, Her Excellency Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Women Sports Foundation (SWSF), Saad bin Saleh Al Sufyani, Assistant Secretary General of (UANOC), and a number of other members and officials in charge of organising and media committees.

Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad bin Sultan Al Qasimi said: “These meetings are in keeping with the directives of HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Chairperson of SWSF, to bolster cooperation and collaboration with Saudi sports organisations and fulfill the visions of both countries, supporting the presence of GCC women in international sports forums.”

He continued: “Our collective efforts will ensure that there is greater participation and a more holistic approach in developing the status of women’s sport across the region and beyond. With these combined endeavours, we will continue to see significant increases in the success of our female athletes with regards to both the level of competition and the results achieved.”

From her part, HE Nada Al Naqbi added: “Our meetings have succeeded in coming up with a number of highly positive results which will advance women's sports across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We also briefed Saudi sports institutions about the latest developments relating to our preparations for AWST 2018.

 “We had very productive meetings as we were able to put forward plans and programmes to help increase the number of Saudi teams participating in the fourth edition of the tournament.”

Prince Talal and Princess Reema praised the immense support extended to Arab women’s sports by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council Ruler of Sharjah and his wife, Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi.

They confirmed that Saudi Arabia is determined to press ahead with women’s empowerment and increase their engagement in all domains, especially in sports, an approach that perfectly aligns with Vision 2030.