According to the organizing committee, this year’s event is expected to be the largest ever, with journalists from 15 countries confirming their participation.

These countries include Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and host Syria.

Thirteen countries attended the 4 Arab Sports Media Women Meeting in Syria in 2008 and 12 countries attended its fifth meeting in Qatar in 2009.

Aside from Hana Al-Alwani, a sports columnist at Okaz newspaper who participated last year, this year’s event will be attended by two new Saudi faces — Nada Al-Rabea, and Iman Al-Salim.

Participants arrived in Damascus on Saturday. The program will begin on Sunday with representatives from the Syrian Sports Journalists Committee, the Arab Sport Press Association, the Syrian Journalists Federation and the Syrian General Sports Federation scheduled to speak. Other speakers include Shahenaz Fakous, chairwoman of the People’s Organization Office.

Elias Murad, president of the Syrian Journalists Federation, will lead the event’s first session — an open discussion with attending female journalists. He will be followed by Amjad Al-Majali, secretary-general of the Jordanian Sport Media Federation, who will deliver a lecture on objectivity and bias in articles.

Sports journalists from Syria (Mayada Mikhaibar) and Jordan (Hiba Al-Sabbagh, Rima Al-Abbadi) will then share their stories of success. The sessions will conclude with a presentation by the editor-in-chief of Lebanon’s Al-Safir newspaper, Yousif Birjawi, who will discuss the relationship that journalists have with news agencies.

On Monday, former football referee and lecturer Dr. Marwan Arafat will begin the first session with a lecture on women, sports and the media. The head of public relations at the Syrian Olympic Committee, Salam Allawi, will follow with a lecture on the participation of Syrian women in sports media. This will be followed by Qaima Baloushi, a sports journalist at Moroccan Channel 1 TV, who will discuss the experience of Moroccan sports journalists.

Suhair Junaidi, president of the Sport Association for Arab Women, will discuss the goals, vision and role of the association.

Muwafaq Jomaa, president of the Syrian General Sports Federation, will then head another open discussion. The day will end with Dr. Arabi Al-Masri, lecturer at the Damascus Media College, who will speak about the challenges Arab media women face and their aspirations.

On Tuesday, the president of the Tunisian sports news agency, Omar Ghuweila, will discuss how female journalists operate in the field.

Nour El Houda Karfoul, secretary-general of the Syrian Olympic Committee, will also speak about the role of women in sports management and the Olympics.

Josef Bashour, president of the sports programs at Arabic Syrian Television, will discuss the role of broadcasters and television on sports fans. The day will conclude with the issuing of recommendations and an open discussion with the president of the Arab Sport Press Association, Mohammad Jameel Abdulqader.

The delegations will leave on Wednesday.