Jawaher Al Qasimi: Female athletes excel when backed with funding, support

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohamed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairperson of Sharjah Women's Sports, has underscored that the achievements of Emirati women across local and global sporting arenas during 2022-23 reflects the dedication of athletes when backed by a clear vision and a winning strategy.

The Sharjah Women's Sports Club’s 2022-23 season culminated in winning 335 medals in individual and team sports locally and internationally.

Commenting on these achievements, Her Highness said, “Women's Sports have achieved a significant leap in Sharjah, where clubs promote a vibrant culture and sports institutional regulations guide activities of clubs to bring out the fullest potential of sportswomen. Such achievements can only happen when backed by proper funding and strategies for building successive generations of high-performing athletes.”

Her Highness further noted: “We have witnessed an unprecedented season with our champions bringing 335 medals home. What we have achieved so far in UAE women's sports is just one milestone in an ongoing journey, which we in Sharjah are focusing in the women's sports sector. We encourage more support and sponsorship from local institutions and expect more engagement from society. We envision Arab female athletes qualifying in all international sports arenas.”

Sharjah Women's Sports Club’s players concluded their season with an outstanding 335 medals, won across 70 championships including 51 local and 19 international competitions. The accolades earned include 166 gold medals, 89 silver, and 84 bronze in eight individual and team competitions, with 32 in fencing, archery and shooting; 21 in karate; 6 in basketball and 2 medals each in volleyball and table tennis.

The remarkable achievements of the Sharjah Women's Sports Club during the 2022-2023 sports season included Fatima Al Hosani's athletics bronze medal at the Arab Games in Algeria; Amna Al-Awadhi best national team score in archery at the Youth World Cup in Ireland. And Yasmin Tahlak broke the record in the 10-metre air rifle game during the Arab Championship in Egypt and snatched third place.

This success would not have been achieved without the intensive preparation and comprehensive strategies developed by each game's technical, administrative, and medical teams. The club's management has developed clear plans to advance sports skills and prepare players to participate in championships. One of these plans was to provide individual and group camps for all teams: 19 camps locally and 7 internationally.

Sharjah Women's Sports Club’s dedication to create Olympians has spared no expense in equipping all its facilities, preparing athletes to qualify for, as well as training for supporting staff in the sports field. One of the most prominent initiatives collaboratively launched by Sharjah Women's Sports and Sharjah Women's Sports Club was ‘Media Appearance Training Workshop for Sports Teams’, in partnership with Sharjah Media City (Shams). The workshop introduced players to the basics of media appearance and the skills they would need to lead impactful media engagements, locally and internationally.

The two entities also have jointly formed a new department dedicated to health care and sports nutrition in keeping with global best practices. The department at Sharjah Women's Sports Club features four sub-specialities: sports medicine, nutrition, physiotherapy and mental preparation & psychological follow-up, led by specialists and experts in the relevant fields to offer the club's players holistic training and development necessary for succeeding on the highly competitive global stage.

Source : Wam