Women players seen in action during previous edition.

Ten out of the 16 Arab nations participating in the fifth edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST), are gearing up to battle it out and emerge as champions in the karate category.

This is the highest-ever participation witnessed by this category since the tournament was rolled out in 2012.

Starting from Feb.2 and run until 12, AWST 2020 will be held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) and Chairperson of Sharjah Women’s Sports (SWS) – the entity that organises the regional tournament.

Players bid to outshine each other in a match during last edition.

Among participating nations in the karate category, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain top the list, followed by Kuwait, Jordan, Algeria, Syria, Egypt, Libya and Palestine.

Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of AWST’s Supreme Organising Committee, Head of its Executive Committee, and Director General of SWS said: “The unprecedented representation of Arab countries in this sporting category of AWST indicates the how developed the infrastructure for karate is for sportswomen in our region. It is very encouraging to see female Arab athletes making a strong headway into all kinds of sports, including disciplines which have historically been male-dominated.”

“Especially in recent years, sportswomen in our region have been winning prestigious tournaments and competitions, steadily enhancing their global profile in a variety of sports. We consider these achievements no short of ground-breaking. AWST is committed to supporting female talent in martial arts, particularly karate, and the tournament is a premier platform to highlight Arab women's competence in this sport. We look forward to seeing new karate champions being born at AWST who will represent their countries regionally and internationally,” she added.

A player puts her opponent on the mat during last edition of AWST.

The fifth edition of AWST 2020 will see the participation of 16 Arab countries who will compete across nine sports: shooting, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, athletics, show jumping, fencing, archery and karate.

The Arab Women Sports Tournament, is organised by the Sharjah Women Sports (SWS) in partnership with the UAE Sports Council, Sharjah Sports Council and the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees.

Launched in 2012, the bi-yearly Olympics-themed women sports tournament, hosts a number of women's sports clubs from more than 15 Arab nations.

In 2018, AWST hosted 67 women sports clubs from 16 Arab nations who competed across nine games, and received media coverage from more than 380 outlets across the Arab region.

The fifth edition of the tournament, which is scheduled to kick-start on Feb.2, will play a major role in building on the 5-year success of the AWST brand, and support the growth and development of the regional sports industry and women sports initiatives.

Etisalat has signed on as the exclusive partner for the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST) for the fifth time, reaffirming its role as a diligent and committed promoter of sports, especially those involving women, in the region.