The Supreme Organising Committee for the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST) 2016 has announced that 55 clubs from 15 countries will be participating in the event and that all preparations are complete. The opening ceremony will take place at the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club at 6pm on February 2, after which the tournament will begin with showjumping.

The details of the 2016 tournament were unveiled during a press conference at the Sharjah Ladies Club's, SLC, in the presence of Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Head of AWST's Supreme Organising Committee; Nada Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of AWST's Supreme Organising Committee, Head of the Executive Committee and Tournament Manager; Abdul Aziz Taryam, CEO Adviser and General Manager of Etisalat (Northern Emirates), HE Khalid Omar Al Madfa, Director-General of Sharjah Media Corporation, HE Hamad Al Ahbabi, Business Support Director of IPIC and the press conference was
moderated by the Emirati athlete, Maithaa Al Suwaidi, Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC) archery player.

The organizing committee revealed the final list of clubs and athletes participating in the tournament including Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Palestine, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Iraq, Tunis, Morocco, Sudan, and the host country, the UAE.

The tournament is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs from February 2 -12 and features eight competitions in basketball, volleyball, table tennis, fencing, archery, shooting and athletics, with show jumping added for the first time this year.

It was announced during the press conference that the VIP list attending the opening ceremony includes HRH Prince Talal Bin Badr Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Head of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, Sheikh Isa Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Deputy Head of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, Eng. Khalid Abdul Aziz, Egypt's Minister of Youth and Sports and President of the Executive Bureau of the Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports Council, and Tunisian runner Habiba Ghribi, among other high profile sports personalities.

Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Head of AWST's Supreme Organising Committee, said, “Today we reveal the final list of all clubs and athletes participating in the tournament. AWST 2016 has been made possible thanks to the support of H.H Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi who seeks to advance Arab women's sports and promote the ability of Arab female athletes to challenge and compete on local, Arab and international levels.”

He added, “This year’s edition has seen more participation by Arab countries and its female players. We hope that Arab women's sports will see further developments and successes with the support and cooperation of all members of the organizing committees, who have played a part in expanding this tournament and celebrating women in sports.
The organizing committee has worked very hard in bringing female Arab athletes together. We want the slogan of the tournament, Your World, Your Court, Together Victorious, to serve as an incentive. Female Arab athletes can achieve success not only in the Arab region but also on a global level.”

HE Abdulaziz Taryam, CEO Advisor & General Manager of Etisalat - Northern Emirates thanked HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs for giving Etisalat the opportunity to be part of AWST’s success. He said: “Etisalat’s sponsorship reflects the belief of our wise leadership of the importance of women's participation in sports. Sports has personal and social benefits which then benefits the UAE.”

HE Khalid Omar Al Madfa, Director-General of Sharjah Media Corporation (SMC) said: “Sharjah supports all Arab women’s participation in sports. SMC will broadcast all the
games live and show the world what Sharjah is capable of doing, as media is the mirror for any event happening. Through our sponsorship, SMC will broadcast as much of the games as possible, either live or prerecorded. Additionally, we will provide an analysis studio and countdown clock on Sharjah Sports Channel.”

HE Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui, Managing Director and Board member of IPIC said they support AWST’s aims and will help the tournament to achieve its goals. “AWST adds value to the sports sponsorship portfolio of IPIC. We support sport in the UAE, as sports should be part of our everyday life. IPIC thanks HH Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and ruler of the Sharjah, and HH Sheikha
Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs for their vision and directives and their support towards women sports inside the UAE and the Arab world.”

Nada Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of AWST's Supreme Organising Committee, Head of the Executive Committee and Tournament Manager, thanked all the members of the organizing committee and sponsors for their efforts in making the tournament a big
She said, “We meet again, this time for the third edition of the tournament which has become the premier women's sports tournament in the Arab region. We have a responsibility to maintain this reputation and ensure that all our hard work and sleepless nights are not in vain and this tournament lives up to its status in Sharjah and the UAE.”

Al Naqbi said that for the first time, the club with the highest number of medals will be awarded a trophy with other awards going to the best sports facility and the best national sports association. She added, “We are pleased to be hosting AWST, which has come to be associated with the emirate of Sharjah. This tournament helps strengthen ties between Arab nations through sports, which in turn will help promote Arab women athletes to compete globally and regionally.”

AWST's Organising Committee said the volleyball matches and training and 10m air pistol shooting will take place at SLC while the basketball training and matches will be held at SLC, Al Shaab Cultural and Sports Club and Sharjah Cultural and Sports Club. Fencing
competitions will take place at Wasit Youth Centre and Al Thiqa Handicapped Club will host athletics and archery competitions. The 25m air pistol shooting competitions will be held at Al Dhaid Sports Club and the table tennis competitions will be held at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah. Finally, the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club will be the venue for showjumping competitions.

The volleyball, table tennis, athletics, shooting competitions will take place on the second day of the tournament and the basketball competitions will be held on the third day. Fencing will happen on the 8th day and archery games on the 9th day. Basketball finals
will be held on the final day of the tournament at SLC's gym on 12 February.

The Sharjah Media Corporation will live-stream many of the tournament’s competitions and give live commentary from the main stadium and Brussels Laboratory, accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, will carry out anti-doping inspections.

The first Female Sports Journalists Forum to be hosted by AWST will take place on February 4 at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre. The forum will have three
main sessions, “Me and Him", "New Media and Sports”, and "Success Formula". Speakers include Mohammed Jamil Abdul Qader, the first Chairman of the Arab Sports Press Association and Chairman of the Jordanian Sports Press Association, Moroccan volleyball player Thuraya Erab, and Adnan Hamad, former chairman of Arab Radio and Television Network, among other media and sports figures.

The AWST is hosted by Sharjah every two years under patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, and Chairperson of Sharjah Ladies Club. It is a pan Arab women sports event sanctioned by the Council of Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports, organized by Sharjah Ladies Club in collaboration with the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare in the UAE, the UAE NOC, and Sharjah Sports Council.