Final preparations are under way for the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2016) to take place in Sharjah in seven days. The tournament will run from February 2-12 with 17 countries participating in eight competitions.The organizing committee for AWST, held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, is putting together the final list of attendees and VIPs for the opening ceremony, which will be held at the Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club.A number of important people will be attending the tournament including His Royal Highness Prince Talal bin Badr bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, HE Shaikh Issa bin Rashid Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, HE Khalid Abdul Aziz, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Arab Youth and Sports, Chairman of the Executive Bureau of the Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports Council, Tunisian runner Habiba Al Ghariba, as well as a number of other people from the sports industry.
Nada Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of the Supreme Organizing Committee for the Arab Women Sports Tournament, Head of the Executive Committee, and Tournament Manager, said, “Most of the logistics for the tournament have been dealt withthanks to all the hard work and dedication of the organising committees".Kuwait and Oman recently joined the list of countries participating in the tournament, raising the total number to 17 that includes Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Palestine, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, and the host country, the United Arab Emirates.
Nada Al Naqbi added, “We are all expecting a great turn out, more so since the tournament has been receiving a lot of coverage. Many people are talking about it and asking questions so we are expecting a lot of people to attend,”
According to Al Naqbi the tournament has received a lot of support from leading Arab institutionsincluding the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees and the League of Arab States. It is organised by the Women Sports Department and Sharjah Ladies Club and their partners the General Authority for Youth Welfare and Sports, the National Olympic Committee, and Sharjah Sport Council, who have all contributed in making AWST a success.AWST is hosted by Sharjah every two years under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi. Following the success of Gulf Countries Competition (GCC), a sports competition organised by the Sharjah Ladies Club, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi established the Women Sports Department in 2008 and opened the GCC to all Arab countries in order to raise the profile of women's sports in the region. The tournament is the first of its kind in the Arab World and was launched in 2012. Contestants participate in eight games including basketball, volleyball, table tennis, fencing, archery, shooting, athletics and show jumping.
AWST – Sharjah 2016 Sponsors:
The Arab Women's Sports Tournament enjoys the support of several leading organizations in the UAE, including the Platinum Sponsor, Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), the Golden Sponsor, International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), and four Bronze Sponsors: Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority; Golf and Shooting Club Sharjah; Sharjah International Airport and Al Jawaher Reception & Convention Centre. Sharjah Media Corporation is the tournament’s strategic media sponsor, the media sponsors are National Network Communications and Dar Al Khaleej Printing & Publishing. Presenting Media Sponsor is Sharjah Media. Fast Building Contracting Company is the strategic sponsor of SLC’s sports teams, Air Arabia is the official airline, Sharjah Sports TV is the official television channel and the official contractor for hospitality services, Kunooz Events & Catering with the supporting sponsor, Zalal.