Empowering women in sport came in the spotlight in a meeting between Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) board member and equal opportunities and gender balance sports field committee chairperson Shaikha Dr Hessa bint Khalid Al Khalifa and a number of medical and administrative professionals as well as female athletes who have achieved distinguished academic success alongside their sporting careers.
The reception was part of the committee’s commitment to supporting women in sport and encouraging them to excel across different fields.
Shaikha Dr Hessa congratulated the athletes on their notable academic achievements, stressing that these accomplishments serve as an inspiring example for future generations of athletes and reflect the ability of Bahraini women to successfully balance academic attainment with sporting excellence.
Those received included Sara Abdulaziz Ahmed Mazrouq and Ruqaya Mohammed Jawad Al Shamma on the occasion of obtaining the Diploma in Sports Medicine and Sports Sciences from the International Olympic Academy; Maryam Abdulaziz Abdulla Mattar, who earned a Master’s degree in Olympic Studies from the International Olympic Academy and the University of the Peloponnese in Greece; Hessa Riyadh Mohammed Al Isa, who obtained a Master’s degree in Football Business and Sports Management from the Sports Business Institute in Barcelona; and Bayan Osama Ebrahim Salman, who has continued to excel both academically and athletically by joining the women’s basketball team at Charleston Southern University, which competes in NCAA Division One, while simultaneously pursuing a Master of Business Administration. Salman has become the first Bahraini female athlete to combine postgraduate studies with competitive collegiate sport in the US.
During the meeting, Mazrouq and Al Shamma presented Shaikha Dr Hessa with the first copy of their diploma, in appreciation of her continued support for Bahraini women in sport and her encouragement of their academic and professional development.
Shaikha Dr Hessa praised the athletes’ outstanding academic achievements, affirming that investment in education and academic qualification represents a fundamental pillar in the development of the sports sector.
She noted that these inspiring examples reflect the advanced position Bahraini women have attained across various fields and wished them continued success in both their academic and sporting careers.
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