The Supreme Organising Committee (SOC) of the fourth edition of the Arab Women’s Sports Tournament (AWST), which runs from February 2-12, 2018, has announced its plan to implement green strategies at the competition, with its aim to contribute to protecting the environment through innovative technologies. 

SOC’s plan for the event - which is the largest of its kind in the region - is to deploy modern environmentally-friendly solutions for its operations. The aim is to ensure that AWST 2018 is ecologically sound in its practices and that it takes into consideration the highest standards of sustainability.

The strategic plan will see the SOC cooperate with the Bee’ah Sharjah Environment Company (Bee’ah), the UAE's leading integrated environmental and waste management company. The organisation will distribute special waste and paper containers to all AWST amenities, while Sharjah Municipality will supervise and ensure the hygiene of the tournament’s sport facilities, and organise a series of workshops and awareness programs to engage audiences on ways to contribute to the sustainability of their environment.

The SOC intends to use smart monitors to show advertisements and daily match timetables throughout the event instead of paper flyers. It will also deploy green transportation, including bicycles fully equipped with safety requirements, to facilitate access to different venues, thereby minimising harmful carbon dioxide emissions. The committee will also use recyclable paper in the few leaflets that it does intend to print.

HE Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Head of the AWST Executive Committee and Director General of Sharjah Women’s Sports Foundation, said that AWST’s strategy aligns with the UAE’s efforts to commit to international agreements and conventions on preserving the environment and climate. She pointed out that it is a first-of-its-kind move at a sporting event that takes place in the UAE and the region.

“The green approach that we are implementing contributes to further enhancing the efforts that aim to preserve the environment through the deployment of advanced technological options in this field,” she added.

“Through efficient coordination with all government entities, I believe that we will be able to host a unique Arab women sporting event that meets the highest standards of environment sustainability, which promotes Sharjah as a beacon of ecological protection among Arab countries and which enhances its position as a green emirate,” she noted. 

During the meeting that preceded the signing of the agreement with the collaborative bodies, AWST’s SOC unveiled that it received submissions from 15 Arab countries to register for the event, some of which will be participating for the very first time in all of its nine sports; basketball, volleyball, table tennis, fencing, archery, shooting, athletics, show jumping and karate. The SOC pointed out that the fourth edition of AWST will be the largest of its kind in terms of the number and skill level of participants.

The first edition of AWST was held in 2012 as an the initiative of the wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Chairperson of SWSF. The tournament is held once every two years in the Emirate of Sharjah.