Specialized Schools initiative continues to open new pathways for students to experience specialized sports<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sharjah Women\u2019s Sports organized the school archery and shooting championships on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, as part of the Specialized Schools initiative<\/strong>, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Sharjah Private Education Authority. Held at the Sharjah Women\u2019s Sports Olympic Centre, the two championships brought together 139 students from a number of public and private schools across the Emirate of Sharjah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The championships form part of the organization\u2019s efforts to strengthen the presence of individual sports within the school environment and provide structured competitive experiences that allow students to test their abilities in disciplines that require precision, concentration, and mental discipline alongside physical skills. This aligns with the objectives of the Specialized Schools initiative to connect sport with the educational experience and broaden participation among students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The School Archery Championship<\/strong> brought together 69 students from nine schools across two age categories: 9\u201310 and 11\u201312 years. Meanwhile, the School Shooting Standard Championship<\/strong> featured 70 students from eight schools in the 12\u201313 and 14\u201315 age categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participants underwent technical and physical tests, as well as anthropometric measurements, supervised by specialists from the Sports Medicine and Healthcare Center and the Scientific Center for Research and Sports Performance Development. The assessments provided scientific indicators to help evaluate students\u2019 physical and technical abilities and monitor their development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 9\u201310 archery category, Aisha Abdullah Askar of Emirates American School claimed first place, followed by Alya Saif of Sharjah Model School for Boys in second, while Bakhita Gharib of Al Bataeh School finished third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 11\u201312 category, Fatima Mohammed Al Nuaimi of Emirates American School secured first place, followed by her schoolmate Sara Sultan Al Suwaidi in second, while Moza Saif of Al Bataeh School took third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In shooting, Fatima Mubarak of Al Bataeh School won the 12\u201313 category, followed by Qout Sultan, also from Al Bataeh School, in second place, while Shahad Badr of Emirates American School finished third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 14\u201315 category, Reem Yaqoub of Ruqaya School claimed first place, Maitha Abdullah of Al Bataeh School finished second, and Maitha Khamis of Wasit Model School took third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Activities were spread across the archery and shooting halls at the Sharjah Women\u2019s Sports Olympic Centre, while the taekwondo hall hosted the physical tests, anthropometric measurements, and awards ceremony. The accompanying program also featured a number of interactive and developmental activities, including introductory visits to the Smart Sports Campus<\/strong>, movement-based learning activities, and simplified experiences designed to help students understand the role of precision, concentration, and analysis in sports performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alyazia Al Suwaidi, Head of the Technical Preparation and Follow-up Section at Sharjah Women\u2019s Sports, said the two championships represented an important stage within the Specialized Schools initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe archery and shooting championships reflect the organization\u2019s approach to diversifying sporting experiences within the school environment and giving students the opportunity to discover specialized individual sports built around precision, concentration, and discipline,\u201d she said. \u201cThrough these championships, we want schools to become spaces where students can discover a wider range of abilities rather than limiting their experience to traditional sporting activities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is important for students at this age to experience specialized sports that may not be part of their everyday school environment. Through the Specialized Schools initiative, we are creating a variety of sporting pathways that allow them to discover their abilities. The accompanying activities, including introductory visits to the Smart Sports Campus, also add an interactive dimension to the experience and help students understand the connection between movement, learning, and sports development in an accessible way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her Excellency Hanan Al Mahmoud, Vice Chairperson of Sharjah Women\u2019s Sports<\/strong>, said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSchool championships reflect the organization\u2019s commitment to making sport an active part of the educational environment, not only through participation, but by providing structured experiences that help students build confidence, develop discipline, and understand the role sport plays in shaping character. What we witnessed during the archery and shooting championships reinforces the importance of investing in individual sports that develop concentration, patience, and self-control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe greatly value the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, the Sharjah Private Education Authority, and the participating schools. We also appreciate the important role of physical education teachers in encouraging students and preparing them for these experiences. This integration between the organization, schools, families, and technical teams creates stronger opportunities to build a generation that is more connected to sport and better able to embrace it as both a way of life and a pathway for personal development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing their impressions, Ghazlan Ahmed and Rawda Abdullah of Emirates American School said the championship offered an experience that differed from regular PE classes, particularly because both archery and shooting require a high degree of concentration and composure before each attempt. They noted that the competitive setting helped them better understand the importance of consistency and self-confidence and encouraged them to take a greater interest in individual sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nourhan Ali, Physical Education Teacher at Emirates American School, said such championships also give teachers an opportunity to observe students in a setting different from the classroom or regular PE lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome students have clear abilities in concentration and precision that may not always emerge in traditional team sports and activities,\u201d she said. \u201cSpecialized championships allow us to identify these strengths more clearly and encourage students to develop them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mona Fathy Mohammed, Physical Education Teacher at Sharjah Model School for Boys, said the championship helped strengthen students\u2019 self-confidence, noting that structured competition teaches them how to manage pressure, follow instructions, and respect the different stages of performance \u2014 skills that positively influence their character both inside and outside school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fatima Al Shami, Physical Education Teacher at Al Nouf School, said participation in specialized school championships adds significant value to PE classes by connecting training with practical application and giving students greater motivation to remain committed and continue developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students Reem Ali Hassan and Khawla Salem Al Shamsi from the same school also described the experience as encouraging, noting that they benefited from discovering a different sporting environment centered on precision, composure, and concentration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The championships concluded with an awards ceremony honoring the top three finishers in each age category, attended by representatives of the organizing and partner entities. Participation certificates were also presented to all students, while the winners and their supervising physical education teachers were recognized in accordance with the approved mechanism, reinforcing positive competition and supporting the role of schools in developing women\u2019s sport from an early age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the Specialized Schools initiative, Sharjah Women\u2019s Sports continues to deliver a series of championships and sports programs targeting students across different school stages, with the aim of expanding participation, developing physical and mental abilities, and establishing sport as an integral part of both the educational experience and students\u2019 everyday lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":8494,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"news-category":[],"class_list":["post-8587","news-feed","type-news-feed","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-feed\/8587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-feed\/8587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8588,"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-feed\/8587\/revisions\/8588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sws.gov.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=8587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}