International Women’s Day: Time for Arab female sports journalists to shine, break bias

RIYADH: International Women’s Day is a special occasion when the world is called upon to spread the message of gender equality.

And it is a message that is poignant across the Arab world at a time of constant change and development.

Great strides have been taken in recent years in closing the gap between men and women in the workforce, but more work is needed.

Under the theme, #BreakTheBias, the International Women’s Day 2022 campaign aims to promote a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination for women.

And for the region’s female journalists, in particular, there is considerable room for improvement.

Women have been increasingly proactive in the media, especially in news broadcasting, over recent decades but unfortunately still trail behind in the sports segment.

As a woman passionate about sports and having started my career as a professional tennis player in Lebanon, my love to cover sports did not stop there and fueled me to become a journalist covering all kinds of activities including football, tennis, UFC, and Formula 1.

There has never been a better time to enter sports media as the Arab world, and in particular the Gulf Cooperation Council, continues to host some of the biggest international sporting events. Top athletes from football, UFC, tennis, F1, golf, and horse racing have been among those descending on the region to participate in long-established, world-class sports events.

In Saudi Arabia, the rate of progress in just a few years has been remarkable.

Crucially, more female athletes are taking part in competitions alongside male counterparts, such as in the Saudi Cup and several motor racing categories, or in their own competitions including the Saudi Ladies International golf