Saudi woman elected as first female president of Arab Badminton Federation
JEDDAH: Mai bint Ubaid Al-Rasheed has become the first Saudi woman to be elected as president of the Arab Badminton Federation. The election was held on Friday during the organization’s general assembly on the sidelines of the Badminton World Federation’s annual congress in China. Al-Rasheed secured 10 votes in the poll, two more than Iraqi candidate Fann Shawqi Youssef, the ABF said in a statement. She will take over the presidency from Sawsan Hajji Taqawi, who had held the position since 2018. Al-Rasheed’s victory was widely hailed as a positive step in strengthening the role of Saudi women in regional sports leadership. During the vote, Tabash Al-Jilali of Algeria, Iyad Mahmoud from Syria, Samir Shaghouri of Lebanon and Yaqoub Al-Issa from Palestine were elected as committee members. Yazeed Al-Massoud was named secretary-general of the Arab Badminton Federation for the 2025–28 term. The statement said that the new leadership marked a step forward in strengthening Arab cooperation and advancing the sport of badminton both regionally and internationally. The ABF was established in Cairo in 1996.