Text/Ten Miles and Hundred Fruits, Noha (Egypt)
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At the beginning of the 2023 New Year, the cover of the first issue of the Arabic edition of the famous fashion magazine Vogue chose a 28-year-old Tunisian female athlete.
On the "throne" of tennis rackets, the girl sits casually and smiles modestly, but the caption is very domineering: "Ons Jabeur reigns king in tennis" and "Arabia wins".
ARABIA IS WINNING
Photo: Vogue
This ordinary woman single-handedly enhanced the global influence of the entire country and even the nation, which is really awesome, probably only sports have such magic!
Jabaul is well deserved, setting several Arabic and African records in singles at the World Open since 2017. Her WTA women's singles world rankings have been particularly impressive in recent years, rising from No. 39 in 2020 to No. 8 in 2021 and No. 2 in June 2022.
A billboard on the streets of Tunisia with a portrait of Jabaul
Image: Shutterstock
Tennis is known as the "aristocratic sport", and as a girl from an ordinary Tunisian family, Jabour's road to success is very difficult. Her childhood hometown had almost no tennis courts, and since there were no clubs in the area, she had to borrow hotel grounds to practice.
In order to improve her level, she left her parents at the age of 12 to study in the capital, and went to Europe alone to train at the age of 16. At the age of 17, Jabau won the Junior Grand Slam as the first female Arab player, months after she was bandaged after undergoing hand surgery.
"I am willing to take this difficult path. Although there is no best tennis court or gym, it has made me stronger and made me the athlete I am today. ”
Little Jabaul holds her medals and trophies
Figure: inkyfada.com
As an adult, Jabaul's tennis career was not all smooth sailing. She has tasted many defeats in competitions and was forced to retire due to injury. After being sad and sad, she adjusted her mentality, became more courageous and stronger and more open-minded.
Today's reign is the result of a decade of hard work in Jabaul, who has traveled to major international tournaments to meet high-density challenges and compete against top players. Outside the stadium, she is humorous and cheerful, and is known as the "Minister of Happiness" by fans.
Looking back on his hard work, Jabaul said: "I accept all the difficulties and reject my sponsors, I accept my body, my appearance and my life path. 'Accept' is exactly the word I would use. ”
A feature on Jabaul by the International Women's Tennis Association
Figure: wtatennis.com
In a country where female athletes are rare, Jabaul's success has undoubtedly lit a light for thousands of girls. Her words are always inspiring: "I want to be a source of inspiration for tennis players, not only in Tunisia, but also in Africa and the Arab world." Believe in yourself, fight and enjoy the game. ”
Sportswoman? It's too hard
It is so difficult for women in the Middle East to get into sports! In Arab countries, women have to overcome more religious, political, social and family obstacles than you think.
Islamic law states that a woman's appearance should only be shown to her husband, not to the outside. Conservative religious figures have many restrictions on women: they are not allowed to dress revealingly, they must wear a headscarf and veil and be accompanied by a male guardian when they go out, they are not allowed to have physical contact with outsiders, and participation in sports is considered "unruly." For a girl in such an environment, it is as difficult as it is to achieve her sports dreams.
Pakistan, Jordan, Gulf region,
Muslim women's attire from Afghanistan, Turkey, Morocco
图：Liz Ramos-Prado
But there are always people who are luckier and braver. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Nawal Al-Moutawakel of Morocco won the gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles, becoming the first female Olympic champion in Africa and Arabia.
Coming from a sporting family and educated and trained in the United States, Navarre was not the strongest among the competitors, but she won this valuable gold medal with great conviction.
The victory was naturally compounded, and the King of Morocco decreed that all baby girls born on the day of Navarre's victory be named "Nawal". What really makes Navarre proud is that Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria and other countries have seen more Olympic women champions since her.
"In countries where women couldn't compete, they not only started to participate in the Olympics, but they were able to win."
Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games,
Moroccan track and field athlete Nawal sprinted to win the title
Figure: olympics.com
The modern Olympics want to achieve "gender consummation", which is a perennial problem in the Middle East. London 2012 finally came true – all delegations had female athletes, including Qatar sending 3 female athletes, Saudi Arabia 2, Brunei 1 all broke through zero.
These female athletes continue to receive international praise, but they are treated coldly at home. Only one article in the Saudi media was censored, and conservative opposition was fierce.
Saudi judo female athlete Shaherkani was publicly abused and even called a "prostitute" upon her return. Angered by his father's anger as an international judo referee, he hired a lawyer to prosecute the insult.
Shahqani, Saudi Arabia's first female judoka at the London Olympics. For security reasons, she applied to participate in the competition without a hijab, but was threatened with removal from the Saudi delegation. Eventually, the International Judo Association allowed her to compete with a hat on her head.
Figure: Olympics.com
When Saudi Arabia's Sarrah Attar crossed the finish line last in the women's 800m heats at the London Olympics, the crowd stood up and applauded her for the historic breakthrough. As everyone knows, Attar grew up in the United States, has a dual Saudi/American nationality, and is a representative of female athletes that Saudi Arabia has not easily selected.
One Saudi scholar worriedly pointed out: "The Saudi women's debut made the situation worse, because it allowed Saudi Arabia to avoid blame." Saudi Arabia is only doing this for the sake of international reputation, not blinded. ”
In 2016, Sarah Attar represented Saudi Arabia
The marathon of the Olympic Games
Figure: Wiki
Although Saudi Arabia is an economically developed oil country, it is also a typical example of extremely conservative thinking. The country's long-known gender segregation system, which is the strictest for women, has only been relaxed in recent years due to outside pressure.
In 2015, Saudi women were elected and elected. In 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that public schools would break the taboo and gradually introduce physical education classes for girls.
In 2018, Saudi women began being allowed into stadiums to watch games, and the ban on women driving was lifted. In 2019, the Saudi government relaxed the guardianship system, and women aged 21 and over can finally travel abroad without the permission of a male guardian.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, four female athletes sent by Saudi Arabia all trained abroad, and Kaliman participated in the women's 100-meter heats "fully armed". Kaliman, who attended college in the United States, said it was seeing Attar competing in the London Olympics that she started running
Figure: telegraph.co.uk
Each of these little changes means that women's confinement is gradually being broken, but there are still conservative criticisms of these practices as contrary to Islamic teachings. Saudi women's freedom is still the bottom of the global ranking, which is indeed a drag on women's liberation.
Female athletes are not the only identity
Despite the difficulties, since the 80s, more and more Arab women have reaped joy, value and purpose in sports.
International tennis stars gather, Tunisia's Jabaul is a little lonely as the only Arab female player. But since meeting her lover, Karim Kamoun, she is no longer lonely. The two bonded because of sports, and also became the best career partner because of sports. Karim, a former professional fencer, switched his focus to his wife after marrying in 2015 and transitioned to become a fitness trainer for Jabour in 2017.
It is not easy to switch identities back and forth between lover and trainer, and Jabaul said that the husband and wife have passed the running-in period and now cooperate tacitly. Her husband's coach has become Jabaul's strongest support, keeping her in top shape and creating great results. Sports have brought her a double harvest of love and career.
Jaba Oul and her husband
Figure: ig@onsjabeur
Egypt's strength in the field of squash is comparable to China's table tennis, dominating the world. The female player Nour El-Tayeb was ranked third in the world in 2018, and her husband, Ali Farag, is currently at the peak of the world leaderboard. In 2017, the couple won the men's and women's singles championships at the US Open on the same day, which became a sports story.
At the end of 2020, Tayib became unexpectedly pregnant and left the arena in tears. But two and a half months after the birth of his daughter in 2021, Tayib returned to competition and achieved good results one after another. Tayeb says upgrading to mom is a new experience, and she continues to train every week to prepare for competitions. While his long-cherished dream of being number one in the world has yet to come true, Tayeb has a new role and a new life.
The Tayibs
Image: YouTube@PSA SQUASHTV
Another identity of Sheikha Maitha, Dubai's most beautiful princess, is a karate and taekwondo athlete. She was the first woman in the UAE to win an international championship and was named the best female Arab athlete in 2007.
At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Princess Sheikh was very eye-catching as the flag bearer of the UAE delegation. At the age of 32, she turned polo player due to a training injury, and in 2021, at the age of 41, she is still representing her country. There is no doubt that she has become a symbol of female athletes in the UAE.
And the aforementioned Moroccan women's Nawal, who did not stop after winning the first Olympic gold for her country. Since 1997, she has held key positions in the national government, responsible for youth and sports. A member of the IOC since 1998 and elected IOC vice-president in 2012, Nawal has become a new role model for African, Arab and global women.
Left: Navarre
Figure: Wiki
People with disabilities, a longer journey
Egyptian weightlifter Fatma Omar is a legend in paralympic weightlifting, with the International Weightlifting Federation naming her the greatest weightlifter of the Paralympic Games. Fatma was unable to walk when she was one year old due to polio, but created a sports myth with her arms.
Since 1997, Fatma has fought for more than 30 years, winning more than 30 international medals and winning medals at six consecutive Paralympic Games. She is also an inspirational idol for Tokyo 2021 Paralympic weightlifting champion Tan Yujiao. Before the match, Tan Yujiao regarded her as her biggest rival and friend, and was proud to compete with her.
Speaking about the current state of training in Egypt, Fatma said that the cost of training is mainly out of pocket, including buying vitamins. Disabled athletes are not valued enough in Egypt, and there is little financial and material support, and they will not receive the same courtesy as ordinary athletes after returning home from their awards.
She knew that the Egyptian president had named a bridge in New Cairo after an Olympic champion, but she wondered if the six Paralympic medals would give her an equal chance of naming. She wants to tell the world that athletes with disabilities give more, and the medals they receive are just as important.
In 2021, the 47-year-old Egyptian weightlifter
Fatma (first from left)
Won silver at the Tokyo Paralympic Games
Image: Flickr
Another Egyptian girl, Rahma Khaled, is also writing her own legend. She was born with Down syndrome in '96, but it was not discovered in time, and only with the help of her mother and special training support did she insist on completing high school and college education.
A strong swimmer from an early age, Lahema has competed in many national and international sports competitions and won more than 170 medals, and is a Paralympic champion. But her talent doesn't stop there. She has not only been an official spokesperson for the Egyptian Association of Intellectually Disabled Persons, but has also been an advocate for people with disabilities in the Middle East and North Africa, and since 2018 has been the first TV host with Down syndrome in Egypt.
Photo: Rahema Facebook
Rahema chose the media industry because she felt it was the quickest way to help people with special needs change their image. She hopes that she will be an example so that the talents of this group can be seen by more people. When she was younger, when people questioned her, she would respond: "I'm a champion." ”
Now speaking about attitudes towards people with disabilities, she said firmly: "We deserve a good education, we deserve to participate in sports." Truly disabled people are those who have no purpose in mind. ”
"Hope grows wings". When bound by reality, be brave like these girls and let dreams lead us to the end and push our limits.
For the first time in history, Paris 2024 will see complete parity in the number of men and women. Through the efforts of project adjustment, gender equality will become a bright spot for it. Such results have not come easily, and there is still a long way to go to reach this goal in the Middle East. Remember the pioneers on this rough road, who braved all the odds and dreamed of leading the way and building milestones for women with sweat.
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