Zeiden proud of Qatar's achievement

Doha: When Nada Zeiden first got involved in sports, her efforts were met with a certain amount of disapproval.

But the Asian Games archer says Qatar's determination to compete against the best in the world has gone a long way to change attitudes towards women in sport.

Zeiden is currently ranked fourth in the Arab archery standings and represented her country at the sport during the last two weeks.

A practising Muslim, she wears a traditional abbaya and does not see a conflict between her religion and her passion for sport.

She recalls a time in 2000 when Shaikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, wife of the Emir of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, encouraged the women of the country to broaden their horizons.

It was a message she took to heart. "Earlier in Qatar, women only took part in school sports. But Shaikha Mozah opened sport up for women. At first I found that people didn't accept it, but now you see that children and whole families are getting involved in sport.

"Shaikha Mozah is a role model for all the Gulf people, not just the people of Qatar. What she is doing is something that we are all very proud of.

"She comes out in public for the people. In the past, a family would not even accept it if a woman's name was mentioned in the media. Now we see women of Qatar are competing for their country, their family, friends and people are coming to watch and support them."

Zeiden is proud of what her country has achieved. But her own experience in the archery competition was a disappointment after she finished low down in the standings. Her poor performance came as a blow after she spent years training for the big event.

High intensity training took its toll as she now suffers from a repetitive strain injury in her shoulder.

Zeiden, 30, the oldest of seven children, grew up in war-ravaged Beirut in the 1980s. Her family later relocated to Qatar.

"I was watching TV and the president of the Motorcross and Motorcycle Federation in Qatar said it would be good to have a woman driver for Qatar. I realised that it was something I wanted to do."

After producing her own press packs, Zeiden gained a sponsor and is now a regular on the Middle East rally circuit.

"I came to professional sport at the age of 24, that's too late. For the next generation of women, it is important they get the help they need to achieve great things in the future," she said.