UAE archers on target as Saudi Arabia, Oman seal fencing gold at 8th AWST

 UAE archers set the pace at the medal stages on Tuesday at the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2026), with Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and Abu Dhabi Archery Club advancing to the recurve team final.

The eighth edition of the tournament, organised by Sharjah Women’s Sports, runs until February 12, with clubs from 16 Arab countries underscoring the development of women's sports in the Arab world.

Archery action focused on qualification and elimination rounds, with athlete seeding confirmed earlier in the day. Team quarter-finals and semi-finals were contested, followed by individual matches through to the semi-final stage.

In the recurve team competition, Sharjah Women’s Sports Club booked their place in the gold medal match with a commanding 6–0 semi-final victory over Bahrain’s Al Riffa Club, before Abu Dhabi Archery Club completed an all-UAE final with a 5–3 win against Kuwait Archery Club.

Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and Abu Dhabi Archery Club will also meet in a direct gold medal match in the compound team competition.

In the individual compound category, Iraq’s Fatimah Al Mashhadani advanced to the final after edging UAE archer Maitha Alnuaimi 139–134 in the semi-finals. In the second semi-final, Emirati Amna Alawadhi defeated teammate Rouda Alawadhi 143–133 to secure a spot in the gold medal match.     

Recurve individual semi-finals also produced decisive results, as UAE archer Maha Alhosani advanced to the final with a 6–2 win over Abu Dhabi Archery Club’s Huda Al-Ali. In the other semi-final, Qatar’s Reem Al-Saei secured her place in the final after a 7–1 victory over compatriot Maha Abdulhye.

Final and bronze medal matches are scheduled for Wednesday across recurve and compound team and individual categories, with the archery competition concluding with the official medal awarding ceremony later in the day.

Fencers from Saudi Arabia and Oman dominated Tuesday’s competitions at the 8th edition of Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2026) in Sharjah, as individual titles were decided in epee, foil, and sabre.

Saudi Arabia led the fencing medal table with two golds, one silver and one bronze, while Oman followed with one gold, two silvers and two bronzes. Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain each won one bronze medal.

In the epee competition, Saudi Arabia claimed the top podium place as Daii Khaled Elemairy of Alula Club secured the gold medal, setting the tone for a strong performance by the kingdom on the opening day.

Elemairy defeated Salma Bnt Saeed Aldagheshya of Oman’s Salalah Club in the final, while bronze medals were shared by Fawzya Fares Elkhebry of Alula Club and Esraa Bnt Seif Alsayabya, also of Salalah Club.

The foil title was claimed by Esraa Bnt Seif Alsayabya of Salalah Club, securing Oman’s gold medal after defeating her clubmate Ghazal Bnt Youssef in the final.

Bronze medals in the foil event were claimed by Salma Bnt Saeed Aldagheshya of Salalah Club and Ritej Araoud of Bahrain’s Busaiteen Club.

Sabre competition concluded the day’s programme, with Alhasnaa Abderahman Alhamad of Alula Club securing gold after defeating her teammate Ahd Osama Moamr in the final.

Bronze medals in sabre were awarded to Afraa Alboushi of Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and Aljood Alsaeed of the Kuwait Fencing Federation Academy.

Basketball competition kicked off on Tuesday, with reigning champions Jordan’s Al Fuheis Club opening their title defence with a narrow victory on the opening day of the tournament in Sharjah.

Defending champions Al Fuheis Club began their campaign with a hard-fought 79–73 win over Kuwait’s Al Fatat Sports Club. The closely contested match saw the first and fourth quarters end level at 19–19 and 22–22, while Al Fatat edged the second quarter 17–15.

The Jordanian team regained control in the third quarter with a decisive 23–15 run that proved key to securing the victory.

Earlier, Iraq’s Ghaz Al Shamal Club clinched victory over Bahrain’s Al Hala Club with a convincing 68–55. The Iraqi side established control early, winning the first two quarters 22–18 and 15–11, before sealing the result with a dominant 13–6 fourth quarter. Al Hala claimed the third period 20–18.

The opening day concluded with an all-Emirati encounter, as host club Sharjah Women’s Sports Club defeated Khorfakkan Women’s Sports Club 78–60. The host controlled the contest through the first three quarters, winning 20–11, 20–19, and 25–15, before Khorfakkan edged the final quarter 15–13.