4th Arab women’s sports tournament begins today

Manama : The fourth edition of the Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is all set to begin today in Sharjah as Bahrain’s finest athletes have set their sights on the competition crown.

There are 16 countries taking part in the 12-day tournament – hosts the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Somalia and Djibouti.

Bahrain will compete in eight items in total, including table tennis (Bahrain Club), basketball (Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry), volleyball (Muharraq Club), fencing (Al Hala Club), archery (Bahrain Club), shooting (Bahrain Club), athletics (Busaiteen) and karate (Bahrain Karate Academy).

The Bahrain delegation is led by Supreme Council for Youth and Sports member, Bahrain Olympic Committee member and women’s sports committee chairwoman Shaikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa.

Shaikha Hayat has already arrived in Sharjah along with His Excellency Shaikh Isa Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Second Vice-President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and other delegation officials and members of the eight teams.

There will be 68 teams in the fray, represented by more than 1,000 athletes and administrative personnel. Launched in 2012, the tournament, which is held every two years, has become a must-attend event in the Arab sporting calendar, bringing together world-class athletes to compete in a unique environment.

Today’s opening ceremony will be held under the patronage of Shaikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Chairperson of Sharjah Women Sports Foundation, SWSF, and wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah.

AWST 2018 will kick off with an opening ceremony at Al Majaz Amphitheatre, in the presence of Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of AWST’s Supreme Organising Committee; Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports; and Princess Haifa bint Mohammed bin Saud Al Saud, Director-General of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports.