Enab Baladi – Sedra al-Hariri
Despite the existence of a dedicated Ministry of Youth and Sports in Syria, women’s sports remain largely neglected by official and media circles. In sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, and athletics, female athletes exist only on the margins, lacking the necessary infrastructure, financial support, and media coverage.
Across the country, Syrian female athletes face a complex reality, trapped between traditional social views, weak official planning, and chronic media neglect. While relevant agencies boast about limited achievements by male athletes, women’s limited participation remains devoid of training programs, development opportunities, or real competitions that ensure performance continuity.
No strategy
Women’s sports in Syria continue to face chronic marginalization. This reality is clearly reflected in the statements of Maha Jnoud, the first female football coach in Syria, who said in an interview with the DW, “There wasn’t a lot of support, nor even a league.”
Jnoud added that there was only a small group of enthusiastic female players wanting to play football, without any financial support or an established strategy or league for women’s football.
Despite the AFC’s (Asian Football Federation) decision in 2018 mandating national federations to establish technical departments for women’s football, the options in Syria remained limited, as qualified staff and supportive organizational structures were unavailable, with Jnoud being the only coach with sufficient experience to represent Syria.
Meager support and personal burdens
Female tennis player Lamar al-Badawi, ranked as the third-best female tennis player in Syria, pointed out the ongoing lack of support despite her long participation.
Al-Badawi stated in an interview with Enab Baladi, “I started playing tennis in 2020, and I have not received any financial support from the sports federation, neither for men nor women.”
She added, “To this day, I have to pay for my training costs and court bookings from my own money, even though I am classified among the best.”
Her testimony reflects a shared reality among female athletes across different sports, where individual initiatives remain fundamental, while official support is partial and irregular, failing to cover the needs of the sport or athletes.
Absent media coverage
The marginalization of women’s sports in Syria is not limited to infrastructure and technical support; it extends to media coverage, which remains weak and unstructured, leading to the neglect of female athletic accomplishments in the public sphere.
While male championships are highlighted, female competitions are largely ignored in media coverage. Some media outlets dismiss them due to low public engagement or lack of “visual excitement,” while others portray female achievements as either “rare events” or “heroic exceptions,” not as indicators of a sports trajectory that should be supported and enhanced, according to Syrian basketball player Shahad Shujaa.
This coverage reflects a deeper problem related to societal perceptions of women’s sports, where stereotypes influence media policies, and media is presented merely as a reflection of public demand.
In her conversation with Enab Baladi, Shujaa said, “I play for a second-division club, so media coverage is completely nonexistent for women’s categories.”
In the current year, the Syrian Sports Journalists Union was established, with one of its goals being to support Syrian sports through fair and professional coverage, highlighting the successes of Syrian sports while shedding light on the challenges they face.
However, to date, the union has not shown any clear or effective role in sports media coverage.
In an interview with Enab Baladi, journalist Bilal al-Masdi stated that sports media in Syria suffers from notable weakness due to the lack of media outlets specialized in sports, and the absence of an official sports channel that can cover various aspects of Syrian sports, including women’s sports, which particularly suffers from a lack of media coverage.
Currently, media coverage is limited to some photographs and live match broadcasts via mobile phones due to a lack of necessary equipment for those working in the field, “not to mention the limited financial support provided to them.”
Al-Masdi added that media institutions, in general, prefer to cover popular games like football and basketball for men, as they attract more viewers compared to women’s competitions, and these factors intertwine and negatively affect the development of women’s sports media in the country.
What about the Ministry of Sports?
According to what the media office director of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Nasser al-Khatib, said to Enab Baladi, the ministry pays attention to supporting women’s sports in various games and works on expanding the base of women’s teams within the recognized clubs.
In response to the strategy the ministry follows to develop women’s sports, he said, “The ministry relies on a multi-faceted strategy based on:
Encouraging the establishment of women’s teams in various sports and providing logistical, technical, and even financial support. Launching training and qualification programs for female technical and administrative staff, ensuring a comprehensive system of players, coaches, and referees. Supporting the participation of women’s teams in Arab and international competitions to enhance exposure and performance development. Raising community awareness regarding the role of women in sports through community activities and media programs.This reflects the ministry’s vision in creating a plan that places women at the heart of the sports process, whether as players, coaches, administrators, or even leaders in sports institutions, according to al-Khatib.
He clarified that the ministry is working on providing financial support to all sports federations in order to prepare strong teams, taking into account the needs of women’s teams.
This support varies between covering participation costs in championships, providing sports equipment and supplies, supporting training and qualification activities, and holding internal and external training camps.
Although the specific figures are subject to administrative and accounting mechanisms within the ministry, the general direction is clear in ensuring sufficient funding to support women’s sports, which is considered part of the ministry’s commitments toward achieving the principle of justice and equality of opportunities between genders in sports.
Regarding the ministry’s role in the media aspect and highlighting the image of Syrian female athletes in the media, and supporting women’s sports media-wise, al-Khatib stated that the ministry recognizes the importance of media in showcasing the achievements of women’s teams and encouraging their presence in the sports scene. For this reason, the ministry coordinates with official and sports media to cover the championships that women’s teams participate in and encourages federations to publish news, photographs, and results related to female athletes and teams across media outlets and social media platforms and the ministry’s official page. Results have gradually begun to appear through increased attention and serious media follow-up.
Syrian women’s sports suffer from lack of support and media attention Enab Baladi.
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