ABU DHABI // More than 350 female athletes from across the Gulf region will arrive in the UAE capital next week to compete in the triennial GCC Women's Sport Games.
The six-day championships, which is scheduled to start on Monday, will see participants from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE compete in athletics, bowling, equestrian, shooting, taekwondo, volleyball and athletics for special needs competitors across six separate Abu Dhabi venues.
The inaugural event was held in Kuwait in 2008 and Talal al Hashimi, the vice chairman of the UAE local organising committee, explained the objective of next week's Games is to help young women athletes from the Gulf gain international experience with the ultimate goal being to later represent their country at the Olympic Games next summer in London.
"This event will provide an early test for many of the women," al Hashimi said. "We hope they will experience what it feels like to compete and it will push them to take part in further competitions internationally.
"It is great preparation for them; to sample the atmosphere, the life of a sportsperson - everything is being done to an Olympic standard."
Al Hashimi said that with access to the Games open to the public, he expects strong crowds to come out and watch the UAE's Gulf Cup-winning volleyball team as well as the country's taekwondo and equestrian participants.
Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid, who became the first Gulf woman to carry her country's flag at the Olympic Games in Beijing, will compete in next week's taekwondo event.
"It is important for this country to have women role models to look up to and we are co-ordinating with the Abu Dhabi Education Council to have some girls' schools attend the taekwondo, volleyball and athletics to show their support for the UAE," al Hashimi said.
"These championships will also allow us to show the people outside the country our culture, the level of women's sport and the way women live in this region."
The shooting contest will be held at Al Forsan Resort, while Al Jazira Hall will host the volleyball tournament.
Taekwondo will take place at the UAE Wrestling and Judo Federation headquarters and the two athletics competitions will be held at the Centre of Military Physical Education.
Khalifa Bowling Centre will hold the bowling contest, while the equestrian event will be held at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club and Emirates Global Village in Al Wathba.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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