A First For the MENA Region
The inaugural Arab Women Sports Tournament (“AWST”) kicked off on 2 February 2012 at the Sharjah Ladies Club of the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”). This is the first sports competition among women from sports/social clubs in Arabic countries in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, and it saw action for almost a fortnight until 12 February.
520 Athletes Present
The event is made up of competitions in 5 popular sports, namely athletics, archery, basketball, table tennis and volleyball. It boasts of 520 athletes representing 16 clubs from 12 countries/territories. These are (from the Middle East) UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Palestine, as well as (from North Africa) Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
It is interesting to have Syria, Egypt and Yemen represented at the tournament. These countries are presently in the midst of varying degrees of political unrests (some would term the situation in Syria more of a civil war or a rebellion if not a revolution). Their presence can be seen as how well the tournament is supported in the Arab world, if only among its women population.
To be sure, women-only sports competitions had previously taken place in the region. But these had all been single-sport events. Never before have multiple sports being played by Muslim females in a single tournament until now. The AWST will be held once every 4 years going forward.
Serious Sports And Beyond
The organizers of Arab Women Sports Tournament have spared no efforts in ensuring that all its competitions would be properly conducted. Professional sporting rules and regulations were applied and adhered to throughout the event, and in adherence to the Olympic spirit of fair play, the athletes were subject to drug tests.
Another ‘first’ about the Arab Women Sports Tournament is that alongside the track and field actions, the event also features a seminar on women’s role and participation in various areas of society in the region. However, while it is clear that sports will be an area to be looked into, the organizers have been opaque what other spheres of activities the seminar will examine.
A Triumph For Women, Or A Waste of Time?
This AWST has been hailed by some observers as a step in the right direction of bolstering women rights in the Arabic world. They argue that owing to social, cultural and religious beliefs, prejudices and practices, these women have been primarily confined to their homemaker roles for too long, denied of fair chances in politics, business, education, sports and other sectors. Hopefully, the tournament will provide impetus to the long-overdue recognition of the constructive roles that women can play in their societies and nations, thus leading to greater freedom for and empowerment of them.
However, skeptics have argued that the sports tournament, together with its concurrent seminar on women-related topics, will only have a transient impact. It may draw attention to the unfair treatment of Arab’s women, but this issue will soon return to the back-burner as soon as the tournament is becomes history.
Think About It
Will AWST provide a catalytic effect on advancing women’s rights in the Arab world, or will it be just a flash in the pan with no lasting impact? Besides organizing sporting events, what else can be done to advance the status and welfare of Arab women?
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