Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of Sharjah Women’s Sports (SWS), officially inaugurated the much-anticipated 7th edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST) on Friday.
The opening ceremony, held at Al Majaz Amphitheatre in Sharjah, commenced with flags representing 15 Arab countries, signaling the commencement of the largest women’s sports event in the Arab world.
The 7th edition features 560 athletes and 63 teams from 15 Arab countries, competing across eight sports until February 12.
The ceremony began with the raising of the flags of AWST as well as the Arab National Olympic Committees, and the Arab League by Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Higher Steering Committee for AWST, HE 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.
The opening ceremony showcased a parade of delegations and women’s sports teams from Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates, proudly raising their national flags, symbolizing unity and sportsmanship.
The ceremony proceeded with the athletes taking the athletes’ oath, led by Al Yazia Al Suwaidi, a prominent basketball player at the Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and a UAE Basketball National team member. All participating athletes echoed the oath in unison. Following this, the referees’ oath was administered by Raja Khalid Faisal, who serves as the Chairman of the Referees Committee in the Shooting Union Federation, representing all referees overseeing the games.
The opening ceremony featured a short film highlighting all aspects of the tournament and its objectives. In addition, a Taekwondo sports demonstration was performed by 20 Korean athletes from the Korean Taekwondo Federation, along with artistic light shows celebrating AWST, the region’s most significant women’s sports event.
The 7th edition of AWST, spanning 12 days, will see athletes competing in basketball, volleyball, table tennis, shooting, archery, athletics, karate, and fencing. Today (Saturday), the tournament marks the start of the first volleyball, basketball, and fencing competitions.
