DOHA: Qatari track and field star Mutaz Barshim, Tunisian swimming giant Oussama Mellouli and star show jumper Abdelkebir Ouaddar of Morroco have been shortlisted for the Arab Athlete of the Year award which will be announced at a special gathering planned in Doha on April 21.
Popular archer Fatimah Almashhadaani, named Athlete of the Year for 2013 by a panel from the Iraqi Olympic Committee last year, is also part of the list, which includes names like Egyptian javelin thrower Ihab Abdel Rahman of Egypt, Mona Al Sabah from Tunisia and Mary Jamaluddin of Bahrain.
The awards ceremony will be attended by Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrehman Al Thani, Qatar Sports Press Committee (QSPC) announced yesterday.
Sheikh Faisal bin Ahmed Al Thani, Chairman of (QSPC), prominent Al Sharq journalist Jabar Alharami and Issa Abdullah Hitmi will be among those invited for the ceremony.
The eventual winner will be named after consultations among the QOC officials, sports journalists in Qatar and the Arab world and members of the sports industry in the Arab world.
A number of sports personalities will be invited for the ceremony to be beamed live on national sports channels.
The Executive Committee of the Arab Sports Union will also convene a special meeting on April 22, details revealed.
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