DOHA TURNS OUT TALENTED YOUNG GYMNAST!
Doha (QAT) FIG Office, March 21, 2010: Her name is Aljazy Al Habshi, she lives in Doha and she’s a gymnast. But not just any gymnast. Aljazy is here among gymnasts from other Gulf countries as the first Qatari woman to appear among the elite of international Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. At 19, she is a veritable icon in her homeland, an idol, a role model. Aljazy has paved the way to gymnastics for scores of facebook generation gymnasts in Qatar!
Her career began in 2000 when she was just nine years old. “The greatest obstacle was convincing her family!” confided Anis Saoud with a smile, Technical Secretary for the Qatari Gymnastics Federation. “When our federation was founded back in 2000, little Aljazy began dreaming of a competitive career. With her parent’s support, the family was slowly and painstakingly convinced. Today the entire family is proud of Aljazy’s achievements, especially her two sisters.”
Aljazy trained hard and pursued her dream. The entire federation staff was behind her, as was the FIG, adjusting the Code of Points in such a way that would allow for culturally sensitive competition attire. Today, Aljazy is an accomplished athlete and a young woman; she basks in the joy of living out her childhood dream: to become a gymnast.
At the Qatar Gymnastics Federation, Aljazy has become a female role model for many, opening the door for other generations to follow. An icon is born under the warm sun of Doha, living proof that when a federation decides to implement a middle or long term development programme, when it makes available tangible human resources and the political determination to move forward, results are not long in coming.
“My name is Aljazy Al Habshi, I am 19 years old, I live in Doha and I am a gymnast”.