Did you know that female athletes need to work twice as hard as male athletes? This is why we are choosing to celebrate the amazing, regional female athletes who have worked extremely hard to get where they are today.  Not only are they working against their own biology, they also have to challenge cultural and social norms and the common misconception that girls should not or could not become athletes.

They inspire all of us, regardless of gender, to get off the couch. They are a testament to where discipline and sacrifice can get you in life. For younger girls, these wonderful athletes make for an accurate representation of how we want to be perceived as women from the Arab region, and are positive role models. Here’s our quick round-up of some of our favorite great Khaleeji female athletes.

Kuwait

Faye Sultan , Kuwait’s first female Olympic swimmer.

We love her because: She didn’t give up on her Olympic dream when she couldn’t compete under Kuwait’s flag in the Rio 2016 Olympics, she went anyway on her own. She uses her social media influence to encourage women to get into sports.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfn63jmARbF/?hl=en&taken-by=faye.sultan

Balsam Al -Ayoub is an international professional fencer.

We love her because: she is so much more than a sports woman.  Her organization, Balsam International uses sports and cultural activities as a vehicle for advancing gender equality and empowering women. Did we mention that her wardrobe is #stylegoals!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg0tq1Ln2ap/?hl=en&taken-by=balsam_int

Bahrain

Sameera Al-Bitar, the Jordanian-born Bahraini, is a two time swimming Olympian who is now a triathlete.

We love her because: You would think that, after getting to the Olympics, you would be ready to retire, but instead Sameera decided to get into endurance sports. Now she runs, bikes and swims. Talk about an over achiever!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg4PZheDHW-/?taken-by=sameeraalbitar

Ruqaya Al Ghasra is a Bahraini sprinter.

We love her because: She was broke the glass ceiling by being one of the first women competing for Bahrain at an Olympics.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZMJT2wlUZ7/

Oman

Fatma Al-Nabhani is a Omani tennis player.  She has ten singles and 13 doubles titles under her belt from the ITF Women’s Circuit. Her best singles world ranking was No. 362.

We love her because: We think that Tennis is a wonderful sport. It is fun, social and is accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels. We hope that she inspires more people to get on to the court and give it a shot.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmxiePnHolu/?hl=en&taken-by=falnabhani

Qatar

Nada Arkaji  is Qatar’s first Olympic female swimmer.

We love her because: She was only 17 at the time, which was a lot of stress to handle. She was also a member of Doha’s 2020 bid committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BayTyiPgTrG/?hl=en&tagged=nadaarakji

Saudi Arabia

Sarah Attar is the Saudi-American track and field athlete who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the first two female Olympians representing Saudi Arabia.

We love her because: She is a versatile athlete. She also ran the 2016 Olympic marathon. And has now substituted track and field for trail running and mountain climbing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm4XF-6AQt5/?hl=en&taken-by=sarahattar

Raha Moharrak might not be an Olympian but she is a class A mountaineer.

We love her because: Even the world’s highest peaks were not too high for her and she has summited all of them with the exception of the one in Antartica.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnbMq4aHGZD/?taken-by=rahamoharrak/

UAE

Zahra Lari is an Emirati figure skater and first Muslim woman competing in a hijab.

We love her because: She picked the unexpected, ice skating in the middle of the desert.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnMdzjChOGI/?taken-by=zahralari

Amna Al Haddad  is an Emirati weight lifter.

We love her because: She is an advocate who openly supports women and touches on issues of mental health and depression.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BesyEtwAStN/?taken-by=amna.s.alhaddad

We still have a long way to go, but with these women bringing the idea of other women on courts, pools, arenas and tracks, we are sure that others will follow.

Even the big corporations know that there is a huge market for it. And while we do understand that is all business, it can also inspire women to step out of their comfort zone. And having the right shoes, never hurt anyone 😉