Rasha Al-Khamis seeks to raise a generation of female boxers in the Arab world

Special Rasha Al-Khamis seeks to raise a generation of female boxers in the Arab world
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Vice President of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation Rasha Al-Khamis.
Special Rasha Al-Khamis seeks to raise a generation of female boxers in the Arab world
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Vice President of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation Rasha Al-Khamis.
Special Rasha Al-Khamis seeks to raise a generation of female boxers in the Arab world
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Vice President of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation Rasha Al-Khamis.
Special Rasha Al-Khamis seeks to raise a generation of female boxers in the Arab world
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Vice President of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation Rasha Al-Khamis.
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Updated 24 August 2022

Rasha Al-Khamis seeks to raise a generation of female boxers in the Arab world

Rasha Al-Khamis seeks to raise a generation of female boxers in the Arab world
  • The vice president of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation is looking to unearth and develop the best female and male talent from across the Kingdom
  • Rasha Al-Khamis: The impact of ‘Rage on the Red Sea’ is massive and tangible, as it will inspire many generations to pick up boxing as one of the most preferred sports to practice

For Rasha Al-Khamis, one word sums up last weekend’s “Rage on the Red Sea” boxing bout in Jeddah: Legendary.

This is not merely hyperbole for the vice president of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation.

“It tells you that the future hub for boxing is in Saudi Arabia,” Al-Khamis said. “The impact of ‘Rage on the Red Sea’ is massive and tangible, as it will inspire many generations to pick up boxing as one of the most preferred sports to practice.”

While the main event, which saw Oleksandr Usyk retain his heavyweight title belt against Anthony Joshua, drew most of the world’s attention on the night, another bout was arguably as important for Al-Khamis.

“It was indeed delightful to watch the first-ever women’s pro boxing fight taking place in Saudi Arabia,” she said of British Somali fighter Ramla Ali’s win over Crystal Garcia Nova of the Dominican Republic.

“I’m sure that this legendary fight will create a tangible impact on the boxing ecosystem.” 

Sport has long been life’s calling for Al-Khamis.

Born and raised in Riyadh, she was fortunate to grow up in a family that valued sports and healthy lifestyles.

“I was never treated differently from my brother,” said Al-Khamis.

Childhood activities included playing football with her cousins on the family farm and shooting hoops in her backyard.

After graduating from King Saud University, Al-Khamis moved to the US to continue her graduate studies, and expand her educational and cultural horizons. It was while she was at the University of Southern California that she took up boxing to get active and meet new people.

From the moment she laced her first pair of gloves, Al-Khamis fell in love with the sport.

She competed locally in California many times, each time diving deeper into the world of boxing.

In 2017, she returned home, a move that would have a major impact on her and many other aspiring athletes across the Kingdom.

After attending an intensive training course by the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation, in 2018, she became the first Saudi certified female boxing coach and started teaching the sport at King Saud University. Hundreds of young women lined up to learn from her.

“Each one felt the benefits of boxing in their daily lives. It was making a huge difference and I can still remember each student’s story about how boxing changed their life for the better,” said Al-Khamis.

In 2021, she was appointed as the vice president of the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation, working closely with President Abdullah Al-Harbi to implement a long-term strategy for the sport in the Kingdom, focusing on growing it to send a strong team to the Olympics.

In February 2022, Al-Khamis became the first Saudi to be appointed as a board member of the Asian Boxing Committee (ASBC). 

“I am very grateful and benefiting massively from being surrounded by years of experience and knowledge at ASBC. It is such a great opportunity to grow and learn from those who have been in this industry for years,” she said. “I am using this chance to help further our initiatives at home and ensure we bring that high-quality knowledge to the local landscape.”

Developing the nascent boxing scene in Saudi Arabia comes with many challenges, but unearthing and cultivating world-class athletes is what drives her daily. Above all, she hopes providing equal opportunities will be her enduring legacy.

With Al-Khamis at the helm, progress is happening at a rapid rate.

“Only in female programs we have seen a 100 percent increase from last year,” she said.

“We are implementing boxing fitness courses in eight schools this year and are looking to accumulate more. Right now, our focus is on the education of the sport within the schools, slowly introducing it to them so that they can understand that it teaches discipline and respect for others, and instills self-confidence.

“The more schools we can integrate, the more opportunities we create for organic growth of the sport in the country. This helps us build good competition and gives us a chance to send strong participants to the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.”

Earlier this year, a team of Saudi female boxers traveled to Northern Ireland for a training camp, where for the first time they were able to train and spar with amateur fighters from all around the world.

“What an opportunity it was for these young women to see and live the life of an athlete,” Al-Khamis said. “These are the opportunities we want to facilitate more and more for our national boxing team, and are some of the main things the federation wants to provide to develop boxing in Saudi Arabia.”

Raising boxing’s profile in the Kingdom remains the priority, and she is grateful for the support she has received from the country’s leaders.

“I want to thank my country, and extend my sincere appreciation to His Majesty King Salman and the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” said Al-Khamis.

“With Vision 2030 and the direction of the Ministry of Sports and Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee under the leadership of HRH Prince Abdulaziz Al-Faisal and vice president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, Prince Fahad bin Jalawi, I am so grateful.”

She became the first woman to join the Arab Boxing Union as president of the Arab Women’s Boxing Committee in August 2022. Following this ground-breaking move, Al-Khamis hopes to build up women’s boxing in the region.

“Right now, as it is a completely new committee, I am focused on picking the right board members. My ideal candidates are those who are actively championing female boxing in their countries,” she said. “Although a majority will be women, I am not looking at only females as candidates. They should be well educated and have a background in combat,” Al-Khamis added.

“I hope that athletes in Saudi Arabia have the right opportunities and facilities to compete in boxing at the highest level around the world,” she said. “I will work every day, alongside my country’s leaders, to bring that vision to life.”


Aston Villa leapfrog Chelsea into top half of Premier League

Aston Villa leapfrog Chelsea into top half of Premier League
Updated 13 sec ago

Aston Villa leapfrog Chelsea into top half of Premier League

Aston Villa leapfrog Chelsea into top half of Premier League
LONDON: Aston Villa climbed above Chelsea and into the top half of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins gave Villa an early lead before a superb strike by John McGinn, fresh from starring in Scotland’s shock Euro 2024 win over Spain, made it 2-0 in the 56th minute.
Defeat saw Chelsea drop into the bottom half of the table to increase the pressure on Blues manager Graham Potter, with the London club booed off the field by their own supporters at full-time.
This was Villa’s fifth away win since Unai Emery became manager of the Birmingham club in October and they have now won 16 points on the road, a tally equalled only by champions Manchester City in that period.
All 10 of Chelsea’s league wins this season have come against bottom-half opponents, but this reverse meant they drop into 11th place in the table.
Villa moved up into ninth, one point off Liverpool in eighth, and just two points off a European place.
Emery’s men almost gifted Chelsea the lead soon after kick-off when goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez rolled the ball short to Boubacar Kamara, who was dispossessed by Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Ukrainian, however, was denied by Martinez when one-on-one with the Argentina World Cup-winner.
Villa responded quickly, Watkins pulling a shot wide before McGinn hit the crossbar in the 15th minute with a curling shot.
But the in-form Watkins broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, capitalizing on a slack header from Marc Cucurella before lobbing the ball over Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Martinez preserved Villa’s lead by diving low to his left to deny Kai Havertz.
Chelsea were on top, playing attractive and attacking football but with no goals to show for their efforts.
In the match as a whole, Villa only had five shots on target to Chelsea’s 27 but, significantly, they made two of them count.
Villa captain McGinn doubled the lead in style with a well-struck curling effort from 25 yards out.
Chelsea worked hard but rarely threatened a goal, with the one consolation for the Blues the sight of defender N’Golo Kante, a 2018 World Cup winner with France, coming off the bench in the 57th minute as he made his first senior appearance for the Blues under Potter, having been sidelined since August.

Bayern put four past Dortmund on Tuchel debut to go top

Bayern put four past Dortmund on Tuchel debut to go top
Updated 7 min 20 sec ago

Bayern put four past Dortmund on Tuchel debut to go top

Bayern put four past Dortmund on Tuchel debut to go top
  • A shocking own goal from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, as well as two trademark poacher's finishes from Thomas Mueller had Bayern 3-0 up by the 25th minute
  • Kingsley Coman added a fourth shortly after half-time to send Bayern two points clear of the visitors

MUNICH, Germany: Bayern Munich went back to the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday, defeating Borussia Dortmund 4-2 at home to give Thomas Tuchel a winning start as coach of the Bavarian giants.
A shocking own goal from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, as well as two trademark poacher’s finishes from Thomas Mueller had Bayern 3-0 up by the 25th minute.
Kingsley Coman added a fourth shortly after half-time to send Bayern two points clear of the visitors despite two late consolation goals.
“We need the desire to get better, because we have to get better,” Tuchel said, although he praised his side’s “desire to fight for the ball.”
“It was the result we absolutely wanted.”
Dortmund came into the match in the unfamiliar position of first place, one point ahead of Bayern, who fired coach Julian Nagelsmann in favor of Tuchel last week.
Tuchel, who won a German Cup title during a two-year stint in charge of Dortmund, only had one training session with Bayern but it was Kobel who gifted them a flying start in the 13th minute.
The ‘keeper, who returned after a five-week injury layoff, charged out of his box to try, and clear Dayot Upamecano’s long pass, but could only make the faintest of contacts with the ball before watching helplessly as it rolled into the net.
Mueller scored from a corner just five minutes later and pounced when Kobel spilled Leroy Sane’s shot five minutes after that.
“Sometimes there are crap days and today was one of them,” Kobel told Germany’s Sky, blaming himself for the defeat.
But Dortmund coach Edin Terzic backed his ‘keeper, saying: “We can’t forget that this man is the reason we were on top of the table.”
Unlike earlier in the season when Dortmund came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home with Bayern, there would be no miracle comeback this time around, with Coman sliding the ball under Kobel early in the second half.
Emre Can converted a consolation penalty after Serge Gnabry fouled Jude Bellingham in the box, while Dutch forward Donyell Malen added a second for Dortmund in the last minute of normal time.
Munich have won their last nine home league matches against Dortmund, scoring 37 goals and conceding just eight in the process.
Dortmund will need to regroup after the defeat, their first league loss in 2023, ahead of their German Cup quarter final at RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Bayern face Freiburg twice in the space of a week, once at home in the Cup on Tuesday and then away in the league on Saturday.
Union Berlin kept up their surprise pursuit of the Bundesliga title with a 3-0 victory over rock-bottom Stuttgart.
Second-half goals from Sheraldo Becker, Kevin Behrens and an own goal from former Union player Genki Haraguchi took the third-placed side to just two points behind second-placed Dortmund and four from Bayern.
“After half-time, we played like we should,” said Union coach Urs Fischer.
Mainz dealt fifth-placed Leipzig’s bid for Champions League football next season a blow, winning 3-0 at the Red Bull Arena.
Freiburg missed a chance to take advantage of Leipzig’s loss, drawing 1-1 at home against struggling Hertha Berlin.
Bayer Leverkusen handed Schalke their first defeat in nine matches, winning 3-0 away thanks to second-half goals from Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Sardar Azmoun.
Elsewhere, a goal from Germany forward Felix Nmecha in the sixth minute of injury time stole a point for Wolfsburg, who drew 2-2 at home against Augsburg.


Saudi Women’s U-17 national team captain aims to inspire Saudi girls

Saudi Women’s U-17 national team captain aims to inspire Saudi girls
Updated 01 April 2023

Saudi Women’s U-17 national team captain aims to inspire Saudi girls

Saudi Women’s U-17 national team captain aims to inspire Saudi girls
  • At 16, Majd Alotaibi is one of the youngest players in the women’s First Division

RIYADH: Majd Alotaibi is dreaming big.

The captain of the U-17 Saudi Women’s National Football Team — established in February —hopes to inspire other girls across the Kingdom and dreams of winning the FIFA World Cup with the Green Falcons.  

The U-17 team, led by Croatian coach Stella Gutal, consists of 28 players and is captained by Alotaibi, who is one of the youngest players in the Saudi women’s First Division, in which she represents Al-Yamamah FC.

Alotaibi started playing football in 2013, aged six, in a team coached by her father, who was a professional football player himself.   

“My dad used to be a player so I felt like football was in my blood,” Alotaibi told Arab News. “It’s been a big part of my life since I was young.” Her family and friends “and everyone cheering me on” are her main motivation, she added. And she hopes to be a source of motivation for others too. “Being one of the youngest players in the (league and national team) means that I have to inspire younger girls,” she added. 

She is quick to credit her teammates at Al-Yamamah as well, saying: “I would like to thank my teammates first of all, because they helped make it easier for me; because I’m one of the youngest, they take care of me.”  

Alotaibi stressed that discipline and dedication are crucial for anyone hoping to become a professional.

“If you love the game and you want to do amazing things and achieve a lot, you need to believe 100 percent in what you’re doing,” she explained. “Always being there on time, always the first person on the field, last person off the field. If you have passion for something, you’re going to achieve a lot of great things.” 

On March 24, Saudi Arabia’s Women’s National Team entered the FIFA world rankings after nine international matches over the previous year.  

“Currently the Saudi national team is ranked 171 out of 188 national teams. That just proves how hard we have been working in such a short time so, inshallah, in the future you will see how far we come,” Alotaibi said.  

After a recent victory in an international friendly match, the team gathered for official pictures, and Alotaibi mimicked Manchester City star Erling Haaland’s ‘yoga meditation’ goal celebration.  

 “I know it’s Haaland’s move, but I was happy and wanted to celebrate and that was the first thing that came to mind,” she said. “Now it’s become a thing.”

She has another signature pose where she brings her hands together to create the letter “M.”

“It’s M for Majd,” she said. “Inshallah, for upcoming matches when I score, I will do it.” 

For now, Alotaibi is focusing on her career with Al-Yamamah and the Saudi national team, but would she consider a move in the future?

“What’s next for me is I want to become the best player in the league,” she said. “Regarding (other) clubs… to be continued.”


Gabriel Jesus ends drought as Arsenal beat Leeds 4-1 in EPL

Gabriel Jesus ends drought as Arsenal beat Leeds 4-1 in EPL
Updated 01 April 2023

Gabriel Jesus ends drought as Arsenal beat Leeds 4-1 in EPL

Gabriel Jesus ends drought as Arsenal beat Leeds 4-1 in EPL
  • Jesus converted a first-half penalty for his first goal since Oct. 1 to give Arsenal the lead
  • Ben White added the second goal shortly after the halftime break

LONDON: Gabriel Jesus ended a six-month scoring drought by netting twice as Premier League leader Arsenal beat Leeds 4-1 on Saturday to maintain some breathing space atop the standings.
Jesus converted a first-half penalty for his first goal since Oct. 1 to give Arsenal the lead, and then made it 3-0 with a simple finish from close range in the 55th. The Brazilian striker had played 17 games for club and country without a goal, a stretch that was also interrupted by a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being injured at the World Cup.
Ben White added the second goal shortly after the halftime break and Granit Xhaka headed in a late fourth as Arsenal maintained an eight-point gap over defending champion Manchester City, which have a game in hand.
Leeds pulled a goal back with a deflected shot by Rasmus Kristensen to make it 3-1 in the 76th, but the loss leaves the visitors just a point above the relegation zone.
After City battered Liverpool 4-1 in the early game, Arsenal were under pressure to respond but nearly went behind inside 10 seconds for the second time in their last three home league games. Leeds almost replicated Bournemouth’s feat of scoring straight from the kickoff at the Emirates with a quick attack down the right flank, but Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale kept out Kristensen’s shot that time.
Bukayo Saka was on the bench for Arsenal for the first time in the league since December 2021 because of a minor illness, and the Gunners’ attack seemed to lack their normal fluidity for the opening 30 minutes — although Jesus wasted a great chance in the 11th when he headed over the bar from six yards out. Instead it was Ramsdale that had saves to make as he had to deny Crysencio Summerville and Jack Harrison in quick succession shortly after the half-hour mark.
But Arsenal went ahead after Luke Ayling tripped Jesus in the area and the Brazilian converted the spot kick by sending Illan Meslier the wrong way and slotting his shot down the middle.
It was all Arsenal in the second half, as White was on hand at the far post to steer in a low cross from Gabriel Martinelli in the 47th to double the lead.
Jesus then played a neat interchange with Leandro Trossard, who broke into the area and squared the ball back for the striker to slot into an empty net.
While Kristensen gave the visitors some hope when his shot deflected off the back of Oleksandr Zinchenko to wrongfoot Ramsdale, Arsenal responded with a rare headed goal from Xhaka, as the Switzerland midfielder met a cross from Martin Odegaard to seal the win.


Man City rout Liverpool 4-1 without injured Haaland

Man City rout Liverpool 4-1 without injured Haaland
Updated 01 April 2023

Man City rout Liverpool 4-1 without injured Haaland

Man City rout Liverpool 4-1 without injured Haaland
  • The game represented one of the biggest remaining tests in City's league campaign
  • Defeat would have given Arsenal the chance to extend their lead at the top to 11 points

MANCHESTER, England: No Erling Haaland, no problem for Manchester City.
Even without the Premier League’s leading scorer, Pep Guardiola’s team came from behind to rout Liverpool 4-1 on Saturday and stay in pursuit of first-place Arsenal.
Haaland, who has scored 42 goals in all competitions this season, was ruled out of the game at Etihad Stadium after failing to recover from a groin injury.
But even after falling behind to a 20th-minute strike from Mohamed Salah, City powered back with goals from Julian Alvarez, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish to keep the pressure on Arsenal and deliver another blow to Liverpool’s Champions League qualification hopes.
The game represented one of the biggest remaining tests in City’s league campaign. Defeat would have given Arsenal the chance to extend their lead at the top to 11 points.
And that looked like a real possibility when Liverpool scored against the run of play early on, with Diogo Jota bursting past City’s high defensive line and laying off to Salah to sweep a shot into the corner.
But City evened the score when Alvarez, Argentina’s World Cup winning striker, converted Grealish’s cross in the 27th.
Liverpool had no answer to City’s attacking quality in the second half, with De Bruyne poking home a cross from Riyad Mahrez less than a minute after the restart.
Gundogan added a third from close range in the 54th, and Grealish got a deserved goal to round off the scoring in the 74th.
The win moved City to within 5 points of Arsenal before the Londoners’ game against Leeds later in the day.
Liverpool remain seven points off fourth-place Tottenham and still hasn’t won a league match at Etihad Stadium since 2015.
Jurgen Klopp’s team have now lost three straight games since routing Manchester United 7-0 last month.