The President of the Qatar Women’s Sports Committee (QWSC) Lolwa al-Marri on Sunday said the inclusion of women’s sports at the 2022 GCC Games - currently held in Kuwait - is turning point in the history of women’s sports in the region.
Lolwa said that the presence of young women and their participation in major events is a great sign opf things to come and will push for more progress in the sports field, motivating young girls to participate actively at high profile events.
“The main goal is to increase the percentage of women’s participation in sports after it was limited to physical education classes in schools. Therefore, the QWSC is working on organizing sports events in various team and individual sports such as football, athletics, and volleyball in cooperation with sports federations,” Lowla said.
She indicated that the QWSC supports the ‘Olympic School Program’ in Qatar, ‘Be An Athlete Program’, ‘Qatar National Sports Day’ and other programs for preparing coaches and referees.
She said increasing the base of women’s sports practice is the committee’s primary goal.
The top official said there is a great demand for participation in sports events by the committee, and the number of participants has increased in recent times.
Currently, there are 500 member, and 2354 participants, who have participated in 365 tournaments and succeeded in winning 834 medals.
She expressed hope that success will continue in various women’s sports events so Qatari women manage to get prominent position in regional sports sector.
Lolwa indicated that the GCC Games, currently held in Kuwait, are witnessing the participation of Qatari women in three disciplines - basketball, athletics and cycling. She said Samar Mansouri won the gold medal in the pole vault competition while Saja Saadoun won the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles and Rania Al-Naji bagged the silver in the hammer throw competition.
In other commendable performances, Qatar’s Layal Tamam won the silver in the heptathlon competition, Saja Saadoun also won the bronze medal in the heptathlon competition while Samar Mansouri clinched the bronze in the triple jump competition.
The QWSC president said the Committee is keen to give new opportunities to young girls and women in sports in Qatar and provide them with chances to participate in events while aiming to teach young athletes the importance making sports a way of live.
The committee, she said, keeps pace with its goals and aspirations to serve the sports sector by developing women’s sports in the State of Qatar and highlighting its role in regional and international forums.
She explained that the committee’s strategy - in line with the directives of Qatar’s wise leadership - seeks to create community awareness, actively promoting women’s participation in sports events and developing overall fitness of athletes with modern-day techniques.
She added QWCS also wants to help sport-loving young girls reach their true potential on and off the field while inculcating a culture of sports across Qatar.