The Al Ain Sports Club along with the Baniyas Sports Club have clinched the first positions in the group archery championship, in the 15+ and under 15 categories, respectively.

Al Ain Sports Club scored 763 points in the archery finals, that was held on Friday, 10 May, as part of the 11^th Ramadan Women’s Sports Tournament, which runs until May 14 at the Sharjah Women’s Sports (SWS) gymnasium.

In the 15+ category, Baniyas Sports Club won the silver medal in the group archery championship with a score of 733 points, while the Sharjah Women’s Sports Club secured the bronze medal with 574 points.

In the under 15 group stages, Baniyas Sports Club won the gold medal with a score of 800 points, followed by Sharjah Women’s Sports Club with 790 points, while the Emirati School stood third with a score of 789 points.

The sporting event is being organised by SWS under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of SWS.

HE Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of SWS, HE Salah Al Falasi, Assistant Secretary General of the UAE Shooting and Archery Federation, and HE Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Self-Defence Sports Club, felicitated the winners.

Individual results

In the 15+ individual category, player Aliaa Ahmed Al Ahmed from Baniyas Sports Club, secured the gold medal winning the first place, while Wadha Ahmed Al Shamsi and Ghalia

Bader Al Beloushi from Al Ain Club scooped the silver and bronze medals respectively.

In the under 15 category, player Amina Mohammed Al Mansouri from Baniyas Sports Club received the gold medal, while Hind Mohammed Al Beloushi from Sharjah Women’s Sports Club bagged the silver medal, and Latifa Taher Al Rumaithi from Al Ain Club secured the bronze medal.

Shooting competitions

Four teams representing Sharjah Women’s Sports Club, Al Dhaid Cultural and Sports Club, Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and Sharjah Police participated in the 10m air pistol shooting competitions.

In the group competitions, Al Dhaid Club won the first position, followed by Sharjah Women’s Sports Club, while Sharjah Police team finished third.

In individual games, Suhaila Imam Al Deen Al Beloushi secured the first place, while Marwa Jawhar Al Nuaimi stood second, and Sheikha Mohammed Al Shehhi won the third place.

Volleyball competitions

In Group B volleyball competitions, the Elite Volleyball Academy Ladies team dominated the match proceeding against Italian Espera Moonves team and won the game scoring 2-1. They continued their victory by defeating Bruni ladies 2-0. Espera team then achieved its sole 2-0 win against Bruni Ladies team.

Successful championship

HE Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Self-Defence Sports Club, said: “The Ramadan Women’s Sports Tournament, organised by the Sharjah Women’s Sports (SWS) which is in its 11^th consecutive year, is not only a platform to develop women’s sports but the fact that it has witnessed a huge participation of 64 athletes in the archery competitions, goes to show the popularity of the event in the Sharjah calendar. This is a big achievement for SWS and a matter of immense pride everyone”.

He noted that archery is a promising sport and such tournaments help to develop this game further. It also enables us to identify new and talented athletes, which is a huge gain for the country, bringing us closer to the World Olympic games”.

He praised the high performance of the archers, saying, “We have a game with competitive standards, that trains our players to win accolades at the international sporting stage in World Olympics. The under 15 athletes have a promising future, where they can compete and learn at regional events, before they participate in global events and make the country proud”.

Olympic outcomes

HE Salah Al Falasi, Assistant Secretary General of the UAE Shooting and Archery Federation, thanked Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi for her pioneering role and efforts in organising sporting championships and tournaments that helps to identify and equip the national teams with professional and qualified sportswomen and players. This he said, was clearly apparent in the outcomes of the archery championship, “the outstanding results, herald the birth of Olympic players, and the biggest beneficiary is our national team”.

Al Falasi emphasised that the UAE Shooting and Archery Federation will spare no effort to provide support to the talented players of the tournament, in collaboration with the SWS, noting that the Ramadan tournament has become a professional platform for refining talents.

Big support

Ameera Nader, Al Ain Club’s archery coach lauded SWS’s efforts in organising the Ramadan tournament, where this year’s archery championship saw the biggest ever participation, with 64 players. She said, “This kind of a turnout is not easy to achieve for a sport like archery, because this game requires a lot of patience and precision. Therefore, archery as a sport requires more support, to see continued participation by greater number of athletes”.

Commenting on the Al Ain Club’s win in the archery championship title in the 15+ category, Ameera Nader said, “the players of Al Ain Club are blessed with the support, care and attention being given to them by the club’s board. This provides them with an environment to hone their talents, allowing them to pursue excellence, in local and international sporting arenas”.

Outstanding female athletes

Dr. Ahmad Hamouda, Technical Secretary at the UAE Shooting and Archery Federation also expressed his deep appreciation to the Sharjah Women’s Sports, for organising a successful archery championship.

He noted that the large number of athlete participation has helped in enhancing the competitive spirit of the tournament. He said, “These results indicate a promising future for archery and signals the increasing number of people wanting to pursue this sport in the country”.

Today, the shooting finals will take place and honouring the winners, while the volleyball competitions will continue and conclude on Sunday with honouring the winning teams.

Established in November 2016, under an Emiri Decree issued by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, SWS aims to empower national women athletes and develop human capital in the field of women’s sports. It also seeks to create a talented generation of women leaders in sports, encourage women’s participation in different sports, foster a culture of sports and provide a stimulating environment that contributes to advancing women’s sports.