Qatar’s growing sports ecosystem is helping create stronger opportunities for women and girls, a European Union official said during a panel discussion marking International Olympic Day in Doha.
Angelos Lenos, deputy head of Mission and head of Political Section at the European Union Delegation to the State of Qatar, told Gulf Times that the event reflected a shared commitment between Qatar and the European Union to promote gender equality through sport.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a panel discussion titled “Advancing Women and Girls’ Rights, Safety and Participation in and Through Sport,” held at the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.
The event, organised by the Employment Standards Office and the European Delegation in Qatar, brought together stakeholders to discuss the challenges women and girls face throughout their sporting journey and the practical steps needed to strengthen their rights, safety and participation.
Lenos noted that the event was one of the tangible outcomes of the annual Human Rights Dialogue between Qatar and the European Union.
“This is a decision we collectively made with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar during our last round of annual Human Rights Dialogue,” he said, adding that the aim was to create a practical deliverable focused on “promoting women and girls’ rights through sports.”
Lenos said the panel also provided a platform to hear directly from some of Qatar’s pioneering female athletes, who shared their experiences of participation, growth and support.
“We were very pleased to host today some of the most pioneer female athletes of Qatar,” he said. “We discussed the real issues that involve their participation in sports and how they grow personally and professionally with the support of institutions and, of course, their families.”
Asked about Qatar’s role in creating a safer and more supportive environment for women in sport, Lenos said the country has shown active engagement on the issue at both national and international levels.
“Qatar has been, as was mentioned also by the representative of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the core group promoting last year’s resolution of the Human Rights Council specifically on this issue,” he said.
Lenos added that since the establishment of the EU Delegation in Qatar in 2022, the EU has worked with several Qatari institutions to advance shared values around gender equality and inclusion.
“We have been working with Qatari authorities since the inception of the delegation here in 2022,” he said, citing engagement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aspire Academy, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Financial Centre, the Olympic Museum and Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
“We have engaged with a lot of players in order to assist, to be partners, to promote our EU values, which is about gender equality,” he added. “We see that we find partners in Qatar who are aligned on this purpose.”
Lenos said Qatar’s leadership has been central to the progress being made. “The leadership is the most important element here, and we see a very strong desire from the Qatari leadership to promote women in sports,” he said, expressing confidence that women’s participation in sport in Qatar will continue to grow.
“I have no doubt that the future will only be brighter and stronger, with many more women participating and bringing medals to Qatar,” he said.
Lenos stressed that the importance of women in sport goes beyond competition and medals.
“This is important not only in terms of the medals, but opening the public space to women, being visible partners in this community,” he said.
He also pointed to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as a milestone that helped accelerate Qatar’s visibility as a sports destination and created momentum for future events. “The World Cup opened, or accelerated rather, the picture and the system in the country,” he said. “With many more competitions and events taking place in Qatar, this will only grow bigger.”
The discussion highlighted how sport can serve as more than a field of competition. It can become a platform for confidence, inclusion, leadership and social change, especially when institutions, families and communities work together to support women and girls at every stage of their sporting journey.