22 Arab clubs seek participation at AWST 2020

Sharjah: The Executive Committee of the fifth edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2020) announced that till date 22 clubs from five Arab countries have sent in requests to participate in the first of its kind women’s sports event in the region.

The announcement was made at the third Executive Committee meeting held in Sharjah to review the preparations for the upcoming event.

The meeting was presided over by Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of AWST’s Supreme Organising Committee, Head of AWST’s Executive Committee and Director General of Sharjah Women Sports (SWS), in the presence of heads and members of AWST committees.

The meeting discussed the recommendations and outcomes of the second committee meeting and the logistics and technical details of the opening ceremony, apart from the special arrangements to be made for hosting guests.

A special committee was formed at the meeting to evaluate the performances of the various committees. Attendees also reviewed the procedures followed by the committee tasked with the issuance of entry visas for the participating delegations so to avoid any delay in their arrival.

Naqbi pointed out the importance of supporting women’s sports and lauded the efforts being made by the Supreme Organising Committee to organise an outstanding event befitting the sports scene in the UAE and the emirate of Sharjah.

She said: “We are focused on the preparations for the event and are working on the logistics and technical plans for organising the same in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah (SCFA) and Chairperson of SWS. We look forward to hosting a prestigious event that will reflect the position of Sharjah as a leading hub for women’s sporting events in the Arab world.”

Mariam Yousef Al Hosani, Deputy Head of the Executive Committee; Maitha Bin Dawi, Manager of AWST; Naser Ashour, Head of Safety and Security Committee; Ali Al Hammadi, Head of Internal Relations Committee; Mohammed Al Hammadi, Head of the Performance and Development Committee; Ali Hassan Al Amiri, Head of the Technical Committee; Tharia Jalal, Head of the Financial Committee; Lamiya Al Suwaidi, Head of the Award Ceremony Committee; Zakiya Al Musharakh, Head of Corporate Communications Committee; Fatima Mohammed, Head of the Media Committee; Muna Al Ghazal, Head of the Protocol Committee; Khawla Mohammed, Head of the Secretariat Committee; and Reham Mahmoud, Head of the Logistics Committee, were among the dignitaries who attended the meeting.

The first edition of AWST was held in 2012 at the initiative of Sheikha Jawaher. The pan-Arab tournament is held biennially in Sharjah with the aim of boosting women’s sports in the Arab region. SWSF is gearing up to host the tournament’s fifth edition 2020.