By Abdellatif Sharaa
KUWAIT: A member of Kuwait Olympic Committee Board Fatima Hayat said there is an integrated plan to increase women's presence on sports federations' boards and women's role in taking sports decisions. Speaking during a seminar titled "Equality between the two genders in sports", Hayat said Kuwaiti female athletes are at the start of their sports activities at both the technical and administrative levels. The seminar was moderated by Asrar Al-Ansari.
Hayat gave an example that there are two women board members among 78 positions in 16 sports federations, while women only have a 2 percent representation in comprehensive clubs. She said women's membership in specialized clubs stands at 15 percent (34 women out 234 members). Hayat lauded the efforts of the Public Authority for Sports, represented by Director General Dr Humoud Fulaited and his deputy Dr Saqer Al-Mulla, as well as the Olympic Committee and its Chairman Sheikh Fahad Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad, and their keen interest in advancing women's sport.
"We are working at the women's sports committee of KOC in cooperation PAS to prepare an integrated plan to develop women's sport in order to increase women's representation," Hayat said. Kuwait Club Board Member Balsam Al-Ayoub said there are several stages to enable women's sports, which will starts with the family and the society before reaching the sports sector.
She said women's presence on the board of Kuwait Club is exceptional. Ayoub said women's sports witnessed a good period in the seventies, which later waned. Captain Fajer Ahmad said the bad results of women's sports abroad are due to a lack of correct sporting upbringing at an early age.