British ambassador Ajay Sharma yesterday welcomed guests to the British embassy to mark International Women’s Day with a ‘Women in Sport’-themed reception and to celebrate the strong partnership between the UK and Qatar.
The guests of honour in attendance were Liz McColgan, a British Olympian now promoting youth sports in Qatar, Sarah Massood, Qatari Paralympian, and Nada Arakji, a Qatari swimmer who competed at London 2012 and the first woman to represent Qatar at the Olympics. The British envoy also hosted senior figures from Qatar and the UK who work in sport-related fields, including attendees from the Qatar Olympic and Paralympic committees, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, and Aspire Zone.
Ambassador Sharma said, “I am delighted to host this event to mark International Women’s Day. We chose the theme of women in sport because sport is an important part of the relationship between our two countries, in particular the UK is working closely with Qatar to help ensure that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is a great success.
“We also chose sport because it has been regrettably been seen over the years as a male domain. And we have seen tonight how wrong that is. We have great sportswomen competing at the highest levels, women are involved in teaching sports, in designing stadia, in commentating on and in promoting sport.”