16 Sep 2022

Fatima Bint Hazaa: Reaching the sixth edition reflects the value of the award

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Fatima Bint Hazaa: Reaching the sixth edition reflects the value of the award

Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Sports Council announced the names of the finalists for the sixth Fatima Bint Mubarak Women Sports Award, which is the first award of its kind in the region, as it mainly aims to empower women and highlight their achievements in the sports sector. The award receives the attention and pursuit of Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy and President of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Ladies Clubs.

Bassant Mohamed Hemida, Giana Farouk Mahmoud and Hedaya Malak from Egypt were nominated in the category of Best Arab Athlete. For the category of the best Emirati Woman Athlete, Balqees Abdul Kareem Al Shamsi, Shamma Yousef Al Kalbani, and Safia Al Sayegh were nominated. Meanwhile, Rahma Ahmed Abdel Razzaq, Hana Ayman Gouda from Egypt, and Rawda Al Serkal from the Emirates, were nominated for the Best Young Athlete.

The list of nominees for the best Paralympic athlete category included Maryam Ahmed Abdullah Al Zeyoudi from the UAE, and Rehab Radwan and Fatima Mohamed Omar from Egypt. Whereas, the list of finalists for the Best Coach category included Aladdin Kamel from Egypt, Faris Al-Assaf from Jordan and Youssef Ahmed Shack from the UAE.

The category for Best Sports Media included Amira Ammar from Egypt, Denia Hegab from Algeria, and Aziza Nait Sibaha from Morocco.

With regards to the category of Youth Development Programs, the nomination of Capital NetBall Lisa Proctor and the Player Path Development Program came from the UAE and the Jordan Women's Football Association from Jordan.

The category nomination of the Best Team from the UAE is the UAE women's national rugby team, the Emirates Cycling Federation, and from Egypt the Egyptian Weightlifting Federation. And in the category of the best creative sports initiative, the Emirates International Endurance Village from the UAE and VIB - Munira Al-Dosari from Qatar are nominated..

Every year, the Award seeks to honor the sports personality of the year, for sports personalities whose experience exceeds twenty years of competition, and this category is at the level of the Arab world.

Competition categories within this award included both individual and collective levels in various departments such as sports management, training, research, sports sponsorship, and women of determination. The total prize money for the award is AED 1,700,000.

Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy and President of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Ladies Club, emphasized that reaching the sixth edition of the Fatima bint Mubarak Women Sports Award, and the consecutive successes, reflects the value of the event and the continuation of its superiority from year to year, especially since the award is linked to a cherished name to the souls of every Emirati and Arab, given the prominent role of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation "Mother of the Nation", the main supporter of Arab and Emirati women at all levels.

She said: "We are proud of what we have achieved in terms of creating ways and opportunities for the advancement of women's sports in society, in line with ambitions and leading to regional, and global achievements."

“The Academy has received more than 300 applications for nominations in different categories which confirms the status of the award and that we are on the right path towards achieving the goals, and the establishment of the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy is only a clear demonstration of the great support for women's sports,” Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza added.

She affirmed: "We at Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, since its inception in 2010, have been working diligently as an integrated and homogeneous sports system, and we trust the capabilities of Arab women, and the strong will and determination to succeed and excel, which qualifies them to rise to the podiums and honor the Arab nation in all forums.”

She pointed out that experience proved that investing in Emirati women and providing the ideal environment for their athletic, technical and administrative rehabilitation yields results and achieves its goals faster than expected in all fields.

Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan noted that what the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy has achieved is a result of the tireless support of the wise leadership in the UAE to advance the role of women as a key partner in building and developing the society.

Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan extended her warmest congratulations and her blessings to her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation "Mother of the Nation" may God protect her, on this occasion, expressing sincere thanks and appreciation to Her Highness for her unremitting support and tireless efforts to empower women, develop their capabilities and skills in various fields.

The award, which includes several categories, had received large numbers of female candidates’ nominations for various categories from more than 15 Arab countries after the registration was opened last July.

Mariam Al Mansoori, Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy Representative, said, "We are proudly preparing to crown the winners of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Award for Women's Sports in its sixth edition. Since its inception, the award embodies the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation "Mother of the Nations” in enhancing the position of Arab sportswomen at the local and global levels, as well as supporting the creative and promising energies of Arab women in different sports disciplines, and constantly striving to motivate and encourage and stand by them in order to deepen the spirit of dedication and determination, with the aim of reaching the highest ranks in the fields of sports competition in continental and international events.”

Al-Mansoori added: "Tomorrow we will witness an exceptional ceremony for the coronation ceremonies. The upcoming event will serve as a comprehensive platform that brings together the pioneers of Arab sports, and a unique opportunity for them to communicate and exchange congratulations and moments of pride and happiness that are priceless. This award will contribute to the birth of new achievements for Arab sportswomen, due to the talent, will, and ambition that they have, and we hope to see Arab women take the lead in local and international sporting events and tournaments.”

In this regard, Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy and the Leaders Foundation, the global organization specializing in creating sports developments, have collaborated, linking senior sports leaders and creating basic market information to develop sports professionally on and off the field. As a result of this fruitful cooperation, a jury was formed, including 41 members of illustrious names in the sports, who described their experience as distinguished.

The Leaders Foundation commended this outstanding event and expressed its pride and happiness with this remarkable participation, which it described as an unprecedented opportunity to attend such a successful sporting event. They remarked that the event is also an important point in the participants’ career in the world of sports, and it is a great honor for them to add to their portfolio and activities in the United Arab Emirates.

The sixth Fatima Bint Mubarak Women’s Sports Award will be attended by representatives of a number of prestigious official, governmental and sports organizations in the UAE and from different Arab and region countries. The organizing committee extend their thanking and appreciation to the partners and sponsors who are one of the reasons of the success of this prestigious awards, which are; Presidential Court and Abu Dhabi Public Health Center are the Strategic Partners while Dolphin Energy and Etihad Rail are the Platinum Partners, Abu Dhabi Sports TV is the Official Media Partner and Abu Dhabi Cooperative is the Supporter Partner.