Participants of the workshop with Olympic medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation organised a fencing workshop led by United States Olympic medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad for physical education teachers from Pre-University Education.
This initiative is part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) ongoing efforts to empower women and girls and enhance their participation in sports, and falls under the Creating Pathways program.
Currently spanning three disciplines — fencing, track and field, and volleyball — the initiative aims to build capacity among educators, promote gender inclusion, and foster athletic talent from an early age.
The workshop, held at the Education Development Institute (EDI) and Academyati, part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre-University Education (PUE), was designed to train teachers in fencing and enhance their skills, enabling them to effectively transfer knowledge and nurture students’ abilities across various sports. Sara Al Hajri, Director of Student Affairs and Community Engagement within QF’s PUE, said: “This workshop reflects QF’s commitment to empowering women in sports and strengthening their presence as athletes, coaches, and role models for future generations.
“Our support for physical education teachers goes beyond developing their technical skills, it extends to instilling values of leadership and self-confidence, enabling them to pass these values on to their students in schools.”
“Promoting equality and demonstrating how sports unite and uplift communities lies at the heart of what we believe in at QF. The journey of Olympic champion Ibtihaj Muhammad aligns with our values of empowering women and opening doors of opportunity for all.
“We believe that sports are not merely a physical activity, but an essential chapter of life, one that helps build character, develop skills, and foster determination and perseverance. Workshops like this have a direct impact on the educational environment, as they allow students, especially girls, to view sports as a means of personal growth and self-expression."
Head of Sports Affairs at QF PUE, Abdallah Shaheen Al Kaabi said: “Our focus on fencing aligns with QF’s vision to develop a comprehensive sports ecosystem centred around several core disciplines. Fencing stands out among them for the educational and ethical values it instils, helping shape students’ character while fostering discipline, confidence, and a spirit of challenge among both boys and girls."
Al Kaabi noted that the workshop marked the first step in a broader plan to develop fencing within the PUE ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of providing teachers with both practical and theoretical training delivered by professionals with extensive educational and coaching experience, to ensure that knowledge is transferred to students in a structured way, from the foundational stages up to the national level.
Samar Khaled, a physical education teacher at Awsaj Academy, part of QF’s PUE, was among the participants in the workshop. She was eager to attend due to her students’ growing interest in fencing and her desire to develop her knowledge to better support them.
“It was wonderful to attend a training workshop with a world champion. She brought us a wealth of experience and inspiration, introducing new methods we can apply with our students to enhance their focus and develop their physical skills,” said Khaled.
