TEHRAN, Iran — It takes a lot of courage and determination to conquer the 6 p.m. traffic from Gisha Street in east Tehran to the northern Velenjak neighborhood — even more so in the 100-something-degree heat of summertime. But 29-year-old Sahar Monadi is always up for the challenge. She’s just one of the growing number [...]
KUWAIT: The government Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) yesterday agreed to launch an investigation into the participation of a Kuwaiti football women team in an external tournament after concerted calls by Islamist MPs. The announcement was made by hardline Salafi MP Mohammad Hayef, head of the National Assembly panel for fighting immoral practices, [...]
Marjan Kalhor’s green knit toque is pulled down low on her forehead. Her hair is neatly tucked beneath the toque, which is embroidered with a single word: IRAN. She’s wearing a white ski jacket with a high collar and green ski pants. On her slim wrist, there’s a yellow plastic bracelet that says: Believe. Last [...]
WHISTLER (Reuters) – Marjan Kalhor knows she has no chance of winning a gold medal in next week’s women’s slalom but before she even steps out of the gate she has already claimed a first place. As the first Iranian woman to enter an Olympic ski event, the 21-year-old finds herself a role model for [...]
Few girls, let alone Muslim girls, can expect to be encouraged to pick up a pair of boxing gloves and go out fighting. But Ambreen Sadiq, a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Bradford, has overcome opposition in her community to win her latest fight and aim for the 2016 Olympics. Hailed tonight as a “pioneer” by the [...]
Al Ram, West Bank (CNN) — The Faisal al Husseini football stadium was packed, two hours before kick off, with a noisy sea of Palestinian flags and white hijabs. Football matches are always a big deal in the West Bank, but this game was more significant than most. 10,000 women had flocked to the stadium, [...]
Saliah, who recently captained the national rugby team, has earned a rare honour: She is one of the two Kashmiri girls to qualify for the first phase of an International Rugby Board course. Saba Akhtar, 17, is the other qualifier. The two will be travelling to Pune for the 10-day course to be conducted by [...]
Late last month, saw the launch of the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation’s (MWSF) latest project to increase female participation in sport. The Born To Succeed (B2S) launch was held through a futsal festival to highlight the importance of the three year sporting project, which will be based in Acton, London Borough of Ealing. Funded by [...]
Everything is relative. Women’s football in England is viewed as a niche interest with scant profile, but there are 150,000 registered players. That is half as many women as those who play the game in the whole of the Middle East and North Africa. Hope Powell, the England head coach, may have injury problems before [...]
