‘World Cup provides great momentum for women in Qatar’

The number of women in sports from Qatar is growing and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is providing a huge momentum for them to follow their passion, a Qatari woman athlete has said. "The presence of women in sports activities is growing in Qatar and the region. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is a great occasion for the nationals to nurture their talents and skills. The World Cup is providing great momentum for everyone in the country and women, in particular, to follow sports activities. I always tell everyone, especially all the women, to excel in their field, to do whatever they are good at and love what they do," Mariam Mamdouh Farid told Gulf Times.Farid represented the country at the 17th World Athletics Championship held in Doha in 2019 where she participated in the women's 400m hurdles race."The vibes are so thrilling and I am so excited about the ongoing World Cup. Thousands of tourists and fans are here from every corner of the world and they are all exploring the city like anything. It is very exciting and we are very proud that it is happening here in Qatar,” she noted.According to Farid, the group stage of the tournament has been very interesting and unexpected on many counts with several upsets "It has been an exciting and unpredictable first round of the tournament with so many upsets and several new countries entering into the second round. Such things rarely happen in the World Cup. More and more Asian and African countries are in the second round which is very good for football in these continents,” she said."I have been to a couple of games and the organisation of the tournament is incredible. It is so beautiful to watch the games for the stadium and the entire atmosphere is electrifying both inside and outside the stadiums. Everything with Qatar World Cup is outstanding and wonderful. It has been a top-class World Cup so far,” she continued.Farid said she is supporting the African and Arab countries first. "As of now, I am a supporter of Morocco. My other favourite team is Brazil and hope they will have a wonderful tournament,” she said.On her personal journey as an athlete, Farid said she was fortunate to be part of the national team. "I have been part of international tournaments for the last 10 years. It is my love and passion to track and field that prompts me to continue in the field and work hard for the glory of my country. I have given my everything for the love of my sport. I was the first one to represent Qatar in two World Athletics Championships. I hope to perform better in the upcoming competitions,” she added.