Sharjah Women Sports Foundation (SWSF) has confirmed participation at the first International Conference for Arab Women’s Sports in Cairo on March 28 – 29, 2019, during which the visiting delegation will reveal details of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2020), whose fifth edition is slated to take place in Sharjah next year. The conference, organised by the Egyptian Sports Association, will be attended by the Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, the Minister of Social Solidarity, President of Egypt’s National Council for Women, and Egypt’s National Council for Disability Affairs Secretary. Heading the SWSF delegation will be HE Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of SWSF, Deputy Head of AWST’s Supreme Organising Committee (SOC) and Head of AWST’s Executive Committee. A number of prominent Arab personalities representing sports organisations in the Arab world will also be in attendance.Through a session titled ‘Arab and International Experiences of Women’s Sports Sector’, HE Al Naqbi will highlight the UAE’s and Sharjah’s keenness in advancing women’s role in sports and empowering female Arab athletes by offering them the training they need to realise their fullest potential and enabling their participation in local, regional and global sporting competitions.
SWSF will also organise a press conference on the sidelines of the Arab Women’s Sports Conference, on Friday, March 29, unveiling the details and goals of the fifth edition of AWST, which will take place in Sharjah, in February 2020, under the patronage of Her Highness 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.The conference will also shed light on the various competition disciplines of the tournament. AWST has incrementally introduced new sporting disciplines in each edition to broaden its scope and enable maximum participation and high level of professional competition, through which AWST has attained the status of the largest pan-Arab sporting event dedicated exclusively to women. HE Al Naqbi said: “Our participation at the Arab Women’s Sports Conference in Cairo is a reflection of the success attained by SWSF and its Egyptian partners in stressing on the importance of developing the field of women’s sports in the Arab region.”She added: “This important event confirms Egypt’s keenness to strengthening women’s sports in the country. Egypt is among the first countries in MENA to have established women’s sports clubs, and Sharjah is a regional pioneer in offering female athletic and sporting talent a globally renowned competition platform for expression. Our goals are perfectly aligned when it comes to empowering Arab women in sports.”
Al Naqbi noted that hosting the press conference announcing AWST 2020 on the sidelines of this important conference is a reflection of SWSF’s meticulous strategy to tap into opportunities to enhance sporting culture for women by promoting community awareness about it. “We also aims to encourage women to play sports and learn about avenues that are offered in the region where they can take it up professionally though such informative events,” Al Naqbi added. AWST’s SOC is keen to bring the largest possible number of Egyptian female athletes to the 2020 edition, in an effort to raise the profile of their competitions and enrich the tournament with an elite group of female players from various Egyptian clubs and institutions – a move that will help participating sportswomen to share expertise and gain further athletic skills. The AWST press conference will be held on Friday, March 29, at the Al Saraya Ballroom in InterContinental Cairo Citystars Hotel in Cairo, Egypt. Established in November 2016 under an Emiri Decree issued by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, SWSF aims to empower national women athletes and develop human capital in the field of women's sports. It also seeks to create a talented generation of women leaders in sports, encourage women's participation in different sports, promote sports culture and provide a stimulating environment that contributes to advancing women's sports.