Arab women are in it to win it — with Olympic gold medalist Nawal El Moutawakel passing the torch to the next generation of champions like Dunya Aboutaleb, the scoreboard is clear: They are bringing their A-game. Dunya Aboutaleb dress, Oscar de la Renta; headscarf, stylist’s own. Nawal El Moutawakel wears dress, Nour Fathallah; earrings, talent’s own.
Photo: Amer Mohamad In 1984, when cover star Nawal El Moutawakel became the first Arab and Muslim woman in history to win Olympic gold, she did more than just sprint into the record books – she shattered notions of what an Arab woman could do, despite societal assumptions. With grit and determination, fellow female athletes followed in her fast footsteps: Saudi-American sprinter Dalilah Muhammad became one of the fastest women of all time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while Tunisian fencer Inès Boubakri won bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Her compatriot Ons Jabeur was ranked number two in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association in 2022.
Coat, Saiid Kobeisy; earrings, Bil Arabi. Photo: Amer Mohamad The rise of Arab women in sports marks a significant cultural shift – and not only through their participation. In January 2018, Saudi female football fans attended a public sporting event for the first time and today, the Kingdom hosts numerous women’s sports leagues and federations and has more than 330 000 registered female athletes.
There are also thousands of Arab women in coaching, mentoring, and refere.
