The challenges and opportunities related to portrayal of women’s sports in the Arab media, both locally and regionally, and the need to augment the media’s pivotal role in advancing women’s sports, was the subject of an open discussion held on the sidelines of the fifth edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST).Titled ‘Female Athletes in Arab World’s Media Landscape’, the session was organised yesterday (Tuesday, February 4), by the Supreme Organising Committee (SOC) of AWST in cooperation with NAMA Women’s Advancement Establishment (NAMA). Senior Emirati and Arab officials and experts representing the local and regional sports industry, as well as Arab sports media professionals and influencers, engaged in the discussion, and proposed several recommendations for effective and impactful strategies to enhance media coverage and further the development of women’s sport in the Arab world. The recommendations, suggested by sports organisations and policymakers, urged Arab media institutions to enhance their coverage to build up audiences for women’s sport. Prominent dignitaries attending the open discussion included Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Head of SOC at AWST; Princess Dilayl bint Nahar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Member of the Board of Directors - Saudi Equestrian Federation; and HE Sheikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Chairperson of AWST’s Preparatory Committee.The session was also attended by HE Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of AWST’s SOC, Head of the Executive Committee and Director-General of Sharjah Women’s Sports (SWS); HE Saud bin Abdulaziz, General Secretary of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees (UANOC); HE Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Secretary General of Sharjah Sports Council (SSC); Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB); and HE Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA.
Presented by renowned Algerian media sports presenter Leila Ben Farhat and moderated by media sports personality Mustafa Al Agha, the event brought together a host of decision makers, media influencers, and sports officials representing various sports unions, federations and clubs. Other attendees included sports journalists, local and Arab media personnel, and students of media and communication.The discussion brought to light some of the key challenges hindering the proper representation of sportswomen in the Arab media including social and cultural norms and reinforced stereotypes about the role of women in society. It also emphasised how some of the less popular sports practiced by women do not garner as much attention as, for instance, football or basketball. The lack of adequate visual and written media content highlighting women’s sporting achievements was also cited as a key challenge.Since sport is a field where females are underrepresented globally, the audience called upon decision makers to implement comprehensive leadership-level national strategies to promote women in sports at all levels and to offer support to female athletes wishing to work in the sports media sector. Suggestions were also made to allocate an advertising budget to market women’s sporting events on digital and social media, focus on providing quality content to drive traffic on these digital channels, and attract the attention of the general public with grand prizes.Audience members also suggested the need for Arab media to adopt policies within their organisations to commit to consistent coverage of women’s sporting events.
In drafting these policies, it was suggested that media organisations could take inspiration from successful regional and international experiences.A section of the audience also stressed on the importance of organising regular training courses for media professionals to deliver knowledgeable coverage of women's sports and to increase media space dedicated to these events in the Arab world.Other attendees recommended engaging the private sector to sponsor and organise women’s sporting events; creation of powerful role models in sports and media to inspire youth; and broadening the scope of women’s sports coverage in the leading sports programmes aired in the Arab region. Other suggestions included initiating policies to protect the rights of female athletes working in media; the establishment of a specialised sports academy offering amongst others, a diploma in sports media; as well as personality training of female athletes to be comfortable and confident in front of a camera.Before the start of the open discussion, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Qasimi and HE Nada Askar Al Naqbi were honoured for their efforts in boosting the sporting landscape for women athletes in the Arab region. Emirati media personality Mohammad Al Jokar, with a 40-year career in journalism, was also honoured for his documentary titled Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi: The Ruler, Historian and Sportsman, which turned the spotlight on the Ruler of Sharjah’s efforts in promoting sports and supporting youth to nurture their sporting talents.