Sports | Tuesday 26 December, 2017 1:24 pm |

The Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST) 2018, which takes place February 2-12 in Sharjah, will feature three new trophies for competitors. The announcement was made by the competition’s Supreme Organising Committee (SOC), who say that the expansion of the biennial tournament’s awards platform has been made to better recognise outstanding female athletes who show excellence during its fourth edition.

 

Two of the three new trophies - the Supremacy Cup and Excellence Cup - will be awarded by AWST to female players who have impressed through their physical performance, while the third – the Fair Play Cup – will be awarded to the player deemed to have shown the highest degree of sportsmanship and courtesy during the contest. This latter award has been instigated to promote a culture of fair play in the competition, as called for by sports rules.

 

HE Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Women’s Sports Foundation, Deputy Head of AWST’s SOC and Head of its Executive Committee, commented that the introduction of the three additional trophies emphasises the tournament’s consistent efforts to advance new solutions and to undertake unique initiatives that support women’s sports and develop the skills and experiences of its competitors.

 

"The SOC seeks to ensure that each edition of AWST eclipses the previous one in order to progressively build the tournament’s reputation in the Arab world and to raise its profile among women's sporting events. By expanding the range of trophies able to be won by competitors during the tournament, we aim to give female players greater appreciation in respect of their talents and abilities and to provide them with more inspiration to participate in prestigious global sports tournaments,” she said.

 

The committee also announced that it has received confirmation from 15 countries that they are registering for AWST 2018, including a number that will be participating in its full programme for the first time. AWST’s nine disciplines comprise fencing, basketball, show jumping, table tennis, karate, archery, volleyball, athletics and shooting.

 

The first edition of AWST was held in 2012 under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Chairperson of SWSF. The pan-Arab tournament is held once every two years with the aim of raising the profile of and enhancing women’s sports in the Arab region.