The awards ceremony for the winners of the sixth edition of the Fatima bint Mubarak Award for Women's Sports for 2022 took place on Saturday at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Nine winners received the award, with a total prize value of 1.7 million dirhams (approximately 463,000 dollars) distributed across various categories. This award is the first of its kind in the region and primarily aims to empower women and highlight their achievements in the sports sector, making the event a celebration of Arab female athletes and their accomplishments.
Tunisian star Ons Jabeur, the runner-up in both the Wimbledon and US Open tennis tournaments, was awarded the Arab Sports Personality of the Year for 2022 according to the Fatima bint Mubarak Award for Women's Sports. Jabeur, 28, ranked second in the world, was selected after achieving exceptional results in 2022, becoming the first Arab woman to reach the second position in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings. She was also the first Arab female athlete to win a title in one of the WTA 1000 tournaments at the Madrid Open in May, followed by her finals appearances at Wimbledon in July, where she lost to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, and the US Open at Flushing Meadows in September, where she lost to world number one, Polish star Iga Swiatek.
Jabeur expressed her happiness in a recorded message after receiving the award: "I am very happy, and it is an honor to receive this special title. Thank you to everyone who supports Arab women."
Egyptian Gianna Farouk, the world karate champion and bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, received the award for Best Arab Athlete. Judo star Shama Al-Kalbani was awarded Best Emirati Athlete after winning two bronze medals in the 2022 World Games in the United States in the under 63 kg category. Egyptian tennis player Hanaa Ahmed Joudah won the award for Best Young Athlete, while her compatriot Rehab Ahmed Radwan won the award for Best Para-athlete. Faris Al-Asaf was honored as the Best Coach, and the Egyptian Weightlifting Federation received the award for Best Team of 2022.
