The registration process for the fifth edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST) has been significantly eased and expedited after Sheikh Khaled Bin Ahmed Al-Qasimi, chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee (SOC) of AWST 2020, launched an online registration platform www.awst.ae.

The newly launched platform is enabling Arab women sports clubs to register online via a user-friendly online interface, saving sports committees and entities a considerable amount of time and effort.

The platform was launched during a ceremony held at the Sharjah Women Sports (SWS) headquarters, in the presence of Nada Askar Al-Naqbi, deputy head of AWST’s SOC, and head of AWST’s Executive Committee and director general of SWS, as well as a number of representatives from AWST’s Executive Committee.

Since its launch, the online platform has received applications from 11 countries and 47 Arab clubs seeking to participate in the fifth edition of AWST which is set to kick off on 2 February 2020, with teams preparing to compete in nine Olympic sports.

The new Website emerged from a performance survey conducted by the SOC after every edition of AWST. It fulfills SOC’s objectives to utilise the latest technologies to ease and enhance the registration experience for participating clubs, media and visitors. The platform is built to reflect the highest international standards used by similar platforms globally to offer users better speed, accuracy and ease of use.

The platform is also a comprehensive database offering information about the sporting event since its debut in 2012, including statistics of the athletes’ accomplishments, number of participating clubs and the games they played. The Website also provides essential logistical information including hotel locations, reservations, pricing details and other key references.

During the launch ceremony, Sheikh Khaled declared that the platform is an important milestone in AWST’s history. “We made sure that this platform conforms to the highest international standards in preserving the environment and sustainability of resources, while saving the time and effort of participants,” he said, noting that the platform reflects the SWS’s strategy of advancing sporting events and attracting more clubs.

“Technology has made it easier for us to enhance communication with our audience and also offers them better service. For these reasons we launched this online platform, which mirrors the high level of attention and advancement sports enjoys in Sharjah, under the guidance and vision of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council member and ruler of Sharjah.”

Deputy Head of AWST’s SOC Al-Naqbi has said that the online platform makes not just the registration process seamless, but offers the media, official entities and the public access to everything they need regarding the tournament on their fingertips.

She also noted that the corporate communications committee at AWST represented entirely by the local workforce were the brain and muscle behind the Website’s revolutionary facelift. In successfully executing this project the Supreme Organising Committee has furthered its mission to empower Sharjah’s and the UAE’s local professionals through new, challenging opportunities.

“This initiative shines light on SOC’s role in nurturing young leaders and local cadres in the female sports industry and offers a comprehensive and valuable reference to all those interested in AWST and its history,” Al-Naqbi said.

The first edition of AWST was held in 2012 under the directive of Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohamed Al-Qasimi, wife of the ruler of Sharjah, and chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and chairperson of SWS.

The pan-Arab tournament is held biennially with the aim of furthering women’s sports in the Arab region. SWS is currently preparing for its fifth edition, which will take place from 2 to12 February 2020. More than 65 women sports clubs from more than 15 Arab countries have competed on the AWST platform since the tournament’s inception.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 October, 2019 edition ofAl-Ahram Weekly.



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