Every day when they wake up and say their morning prayers, the hearts of Yasmine Tahlak, Nadwa Al Sawan and Zainab Al Hosani are filled with gratitude for their family and the UAE, the country they represent as international sportswomen on the world stage.
Incredibly proud of their heritage, these Emirati women spend hours in the practice facilities to become the best versions of themselves when they wear the national colours in international competitions.
Yasmine is a talented shooter who has added the Youth Olympics to her resume featuring a host of international competitions.
Nadwa is a UAE national team volleyball player who has featured in the Arab Games and Zainab is a fencer whose exploits on the big stage have even inspired her school friends to learn more about fencing.
But Yasmine, Nadwa and Zainab would not have become a source of inspiration for young Emirati women without the support of their families and the vision of the country’s leadership.
Nadwa, who comes from a sporting family with her brothers playing basketball, credits her mother for her successful career as a volleyball player.
“I do come from a family where playing sports is encouraged. When I was 13, my mum was walking around the Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and she happened to walk into the gym and saw a volleyball practice session. And later that day when she saw me, she said, ‘There is volleyball, why don’t you go and try,” the 27-year-old spiker recalled.
It’s a journey that has taken her to the Arab Games and the West Asian Games.
“The big goal is to go to the Asian Games because I want to achieve at the highest level. The Asian Games is the dream,” she said.
Nadwa has one advice for young women who want to take up sports: find the right sport and be passionate about it.
“I would tell them to find their passion, and so try any sports and see what they like. There are so many opportunities for them in the UAE. They need to be dedicated and disciplined. You need to be 100 per cent once you play a sport,” she said.
“Then you need to be extremely disciplined to maintain the balance between sports and studies, which is so important.
“You need to have proper time management, which I believe you learn through sports. And when you put your mind to your passion, you can achieve both.”
Yasmine’s story also has echoes of Nadwa’s in the sense that the 27-year-old shooter was also nudged into the sporting world by her mother.
“She was the one who initiated this, when I was younger it was hard for me to be disciplined. But she was always there to push me and make sure that I never missed my training. That put me on the right track because this sport requires a lot of discipline,” Yasmine said.
“I would say that we are all very blessed to have that generation of mothers who are teaching us the culture and who are always very encouraging.”
What has also inspired Yasmine is the growing number of female shooters in the country.
“Now it is developing fast, it was not so popular, but now I can see more young female shooters in the range,” she said.
“It’s very encouraging to see that. The participation has increased and even the level of competition has improved so much.”
Zainab, on the other hand, was a promising badminton player until an astute coach saw her potential in a completely different sport.
“I was a badminton player at Sharjah Women’s Sports Club. The fencing coach saw me and she was impressed with my height and the fact that I am a left-hander. So she encouraged me to take up fencing. I tried and I liked it, it’s like human chess, more about tactics. I took it as a hobby and then it became a passion,” said Zainab who has gone on to represent the UAE at the Asian Games.
But it was not a smooth start for the 21-year-old in international events.
“I was a quitter at the beginning, I used to give up and feel unmotivated after losing a match. But in those moments, my coach and my parents really supported me,” she said.
“And the beautiful thing about sports is that when you get into it, your personality also changes, you become more disciplined, you feel motivated and positive.”
Now one of the best female fencers in the Arab region, Zainab said it’s probably easier facing an opponent than explaining the sport to her best friends from school days.
“Many of my friends did not know what fencing was when I started playing. I needed to explain the whole sport, which has many categories. Explaining was more difficult than playing a match,” she laughed.
“But now they are very proud of me and they are very happy with my achievements. When I see their happiness, it pushes me to do even better.”
Yasmine says the biggest inspiration for all female athletes are the country’s great leaders who have never left any stone unturned to give the best opportunities to every single athlete.
“I think we can never thank them enough, it’s because of their guidance and their vision that have allowed women to come forward to play sports and represent the country on international stages,” she said.
“I think if we compare it to most other countries, we feel really blessed to have our leaders. They have given us the best equipment, the best coaches and the best facilities. I feel it’s a great blessing.”
Zainab could not agree more. “I thank my country for giving us the chance to shine and thrive. They are very supportive. That pushes me to work hard on my game. And thanks to their initiatives, many people now know what fencing is,” she said.
For Nadwa, the opportunity to wear the country’s colours as an Arab woman is a dream come true.
“I can never put it words, the feeling you get when you are standing with your teammates before a game or after a win when you have your flag raised and the national anthem is playing,” she said.
“It’s really an indescribable feeling. And I feel incredibly proud of being an Arab Muslim woman who plays sports and represents her country in international competitions.”