Ahmed Bajoaim – Women in Development and Peace
“Bisan Bakran”, an eight-year-old girl, achieved first place and won the gold medal in the Egypt Gymnastics Cup championship in mid-October 2022. She is considered the only representative of Yemen in this tournament, which is organized annually by the Egyptian Gymnastics Federation in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The child Bisan from Ghail Bawazir District in Hadhramaut Governorate engraved her name in letters of gold in the records of Yemeni sports achievements, after achieving an exceptional and honorable achievement for Yemen. The news of Bisan’s achievement quickly spread like lightning in various media outlets, from television channels, newspapers, websites, and radio stations, to social media platforms.
This achievement is a clear indication of the growing trend of various Yemeni media outlets to support and promote the participation of Yemeni girls in various sports fields, believing in their great abilities and potentials that are no less than those of boys.
In this regard, the journalist Aidaroos Al-Khalifi, in a tweet on “X” platform, congratulated this achievement made by Bisan in obtaining first place and the gold medal in the Arab Republic of Egypt, pointing out that this participation is the first official and only one for Yemen in this tournament. He expressed the importance of this achievement as it is considered a message to the world confirming the ability of Yemeni girls to achieve success and excellence in various fields.
Through this report, we will shed light on the role of various Yemeni media outlets in promoting girls’ participation in diverse women’s sports.
The Importance of Participation
Sports journalist Ahmad Baqarawan said: “The participation of girls is a good thing, as it helps develop their intelligence, especially in smart games such as chess, billiards, and tennis, particularly in universities and important sports centers.”
Regarding the role of the media, he points out that the role of the media today has become somewhat weak, especially when highlighting the importance of promoting Yemeni women’s participation in various sports. This is due to several reasons, perhaps the most prominent of which are societal customs and traditions, and the specificity of society, such as the Hadhramaut society, which sees itself as conservative and does not accept women’s participation in the sports field, except in specific privacies, including not appearing in the media.
Baqarawan, a journalist at Al-Tadhamun Club in Hadhramaut, points out that the Sports Media Union in Hadhramaut coast plays an active role in women’s participation in sports and journalistic courses. However, this role faces significant difficulties due to customs and traditions that restrict women’s movement and reduce their chances of participating in public activities, including media coverage and photography of sports matches, or even as players, especially in Hadhrami society. In many other governorates, there is activity for girls, whether as players or sports media professionals.
Media professional Ali Al-Habashi believes that local media can contribute to promoting girls’ participation in sports by raising awareness about the importance of women’s sports from a health perspective, focusing on the importance of integrating them into community activities and diverse sports, working on their development, and supporting programs that contribute to honing their talents in all different games, and creating a spirit of competition among them.
He indicated that the role of media requires working according to certain standards and measures so as not to clash with the conservative local community, which believes in a certain point of view regarding this field.
Al-Habashi added: “The participation of girls in sports media is an important step towards empowering them and enhancing their role in society. It provides them with an opportunity to showcase their abilities and potential in sports journalism, contributes to breaking the barrier of fear and embarrassment, and provides them with an opportunity to showcase their energies and talents in the field of sports journalism and media. Moreover, the pivotal role of media is centered on encouraging girls to continue achieving accomplishments and successes by highlighting the achievements of female athletes and sports media professionals, which encourages them to exert more effort to achieve more success and involve many girls in this field.”
In the same context, Kamal Labara, the producer of the sports program on Al-Mahriya Channel, said: “When various media outlets highlight women’s sports, address success stories of inspiring female athletes, cover local women’s sports news, and keep up with global women’s championship events such as the World Cup and European Championships, there is no doubt that it enhances the presence of women in sports at the community level.”
He added: “In sports photography and sports journalism, there is a small percentage of Yemeni girls practicing this profession, either due to a clear lack of desire or as a result of customs and traditions imposed by society on them. Despite the global and Arab importance of this field, the presence of women in sports journalism and media is weak in Yemen.”
Ashgan Baggash: A Role Model
In statistics obtained by Women in Development and Peace newspaper from the Yemeni Association for Sports Media, the number of female journalists and media professionals interested in the sports aspect has reached about 60 girls who have membership in the association, which indicates that there is a good turnout from female journalists to take interest in the sports field and cover women’s sports activities in many Yemeni governorates.
In this regard, sports journalist Ashgan Baggash, one of the members of the Yemeni Association for Sports Media, indicated that media can play a role in educating the public about the importance of sports for girls and explaining its health, psychological, and social benefits by publishing awareness reports and articles and working to motivate girls to practice sports by highlighting success stories of national and international female athletes.
She explained that women’s participation in women’s sports is one of the interesting things, and media outlets and female journalists can play an effective role in promoting girls’ participation in this sector by following well-thought-out strategies.
She added: “Women’s sports journalism is an important platform for enhancing girls’ representation and voice in the field of sports, which contributes to motivating more of them to engage in sports and achieve their dreams, revealing the obstacles facing girls’ participation in sports through journalistic investigations and reports, and encouraging diversification of sports coverage to include all age groups and regions by covering their achievements.”
As for the importance of women’s participation in sports journalism and photography in Yemen, she emphasizes that society should break the restrictions and closed customs regarding women’s participation in the sports field in its various aspects.
Sports Media Orientation
Despite the outstanding achievements of Yemeni girls in various sports fields, whether as players or sports media professionals, the media orientation towards women’s sports remains very weak.
Media professional Baqarawan believes that there is an expected role for the Sports Media Union in the Hadhramaut coast in women’s participation in sports and journalistic courses, although this weakness is due to customs and traditions that restrict women’s movement and reduce their chances of participating in public activities, including media coverage of sports matches. However, media awareness can influence sports movements in the coming periods; it represents a powerful tool to break these barriers and bring about change.
Media professional Al-Habashi points out that despite the outstanding achievements of Yemeni athletes in various fields, various Yemeni media outlets are still falling short in covering sports activities, both in terms of women’s sports and sports in general. Nevertheless, Al-Habashi confirms that there is great hope for developing Yemeni sports media in the coming period, thanks to technological developments, the spread of the internet, and increased awareness of the importance of sports, especially for women.
“The Arab and the entire world are witnessing a notable development in the sports sector; sports popularity is increasing and becoming an important part of individuals’ and societies’ lives, and women play a prominent role in this development, whether as players, media professionals, coaches, or referees.” This is what Kamal Labara confirmed.
He pointed out that in Yemen, the women’s sports sector faces major challenges for religious and social reasons, and it is noted that Yemeni women’s participation in sports is still limited compared to other Arab countries. However, sports media is relied upon to contribute to societal awareness by highlighting the importance of activating the women’s sports movement, similar to other Arab countries.
Media is considered a powerful tool to promote women’s participation in sports; it contributes to changing the negative stereotype about women’s sports in Yemeni society. Media support is necessary to enhance women’s participation in sports activities and encourage future generations to engage in this field, which positively affects the general health of society and contributes to raising Yemen’s status at the international level. However, this cannot be achieved without continuous cooperation from all official and private entities.
