Sharjah: The highly anticipated 7th Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST) officially kicked off. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, the chairperson of Sharjah Women’s Sports (SWS) and wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, has officially inaugurated the event.
The largest women’s sports event in the Arab world began with the raising of flags representing fifteen Arab nations during the opening ceremony, which took place at Sharjah’s Al Majaz Amphitheatre.
Up until February 12, 63 teams and 560 athletes representing 15 Arab nations will compete in 8 different sports during the 7th edition.
Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Higher Steering Committee for AWST, Abdulaziz Al-Anazi, Secretary-General of the Arab National Olympic Committees, and Faisal Ghassal, member of the Oversight and Follow-up Committee at the Arab National Olympic Committees, raised the flags of the Arab League and AWST to start the ceremony.
A parade of female athletes and delegations from the following countries was featured during the opening ceremony: Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. The flags of these countries were proudly raised, signifying solidarity and good sportsmanship.
Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi stated that, “Greetings to you in the Emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, your second home that embraces your sporting talents and celebrates your victories. We recognize that each one of you came to Sharjah carrying a dream that you set for yourself, and an ambition that takes you to various sports arenas to compete, win medals, and carry your country’s name on the stages of victory.”
The 7th edition of AWST, spanning 12 days, will see athletes competing in basketball, volleyball, table tennis, shooting, archery, athletics, karate, and fencing. The tournament marks the start of the first volleyball, basketball, and fencing competitions.