There’s a new billboard on Sheikh Zayed Road, close to the Umm Suqeim interchange, and it’s selling a message that’s far more meaningful than athleisure or luxury fashion. In the advert, British-Sudanese basketball player Asma Elbadawi is robed in a dreamy, teal, tulle gown, layered over a white adidas sports top and a fitted hijab.
Basketball in hand, Elbadawi embodies radiance and confidence in the photograph, which is emblazoned with the words “Impossible is Nothing”.
Elbadawi was recruited to star in the global campaign four months ago. “I felt really honoured and excited to be part of a campaign celebrating women, and spreading the message that our goals and dreams are possible,” she tells The National.
In the video campaign, shot at night on a basketball court, Elbadawi states: “I don’t just play ball. I’m queen of the ball. And I believe in equal play. When they tried to ban my hijab, I fought, I won, and kept wearing my crown. On my court, we all rise. My story is not impossible, because I’m possible.”
The fight Elbadawi is referring to is her two-year campaign to convince the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) to remove its ban on religious head coverings on courts. She began lobbying and gathering signatures on an online petition in 2017 and, after she collected 130,000 signatures, Fiba finally reversed its rule.
“It was a surreal feeling to feel heard and accepted as we are, without having to change ourselves or remove our hijabs,” says the athlete. “I also felt that if a group of us Muslim women managed to get together and use our voices to change the history of basketball, then we have the ability to do far greater things as individuals and as a collective.”
Elbadawi’s feat was a victory for all Muslim women seeking accessibility in sports. Many hijab-wearing basketball players had previously been denied the right to play professionally due to Fiba’s strict rules about head coverings.
In 2014, the Qatar women’s team had to withdraw from the Asian Games for this reason, and American player Bilqis Abdul Qaadir found she had to choose between her hijab and her game after graduating college. She chose her headscarf and started the online campaign Muslim Girls Hoop Too, to help support and empower female Muslim basketball players.
While Fiba’s alteration regarding headwear regulation means Muslim women can now play basketball professionally, they aren’t afforded the same rights elsewhere. In France, a bill moving to ban religious head coverings in sports is currently sitting with the country’s National Assembly. When local collective Les Hijabeuses planned to protest the bill earlier this month, the demonstration was banned by the police. In India’s Southern state of Karnataka, meanwhile, hijabs are currently banned on school grounds.
Amid these troubling times for hijab-wearing women, Elbadawi hopes her campaign with adidas can be a beacon of hope for aspiring Muslim athletes.
“Growing up, I didn’t get to see Muslim women on billboards and on TV. I felt like my dreams and goals were limited, because how do you dream bigger without seeing someone who looks like you accomplish those things?” she says.
“I feel like this image gives the message that Muslim women are here and are excelling in their chosen fields, and they matter. I hope that by seeing me they feel seen and represented, but also choose to not limit themselves and accomplish even greater things than I have.”
In addition to being an athlete and activist, Elbadawi is a spoken-word poet. Last year, she published Belongings, a collection of poetry that explores her identity as a British-Sudanese woman and covers topics such as racism, migration, mental health and sport.
She believes that embracing diversity in sports can help extend sentiments of compassion and inclusivity beyond the courts, pitches and fields. “Sport is a universal language — so many misconceptions and stereotypes are broken down by simply training with teammates who have different life experiences,” says Elbadawi.
“When players respect each other, you see this on the court. The message of accepting each other as we are and valuing the skills we bring to the court, ripples out to fans and supporters.”
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
