Kuwait City, Kuwait, March 29, 2022: She is only 15, but Saudi Arabia’s Sarah Alsaleh, is determined to become a top-class gymnastic coach as she says her chance to be an athlete has already long by-passed her.
Sarah is the youngest participant among the 25 coaches in artistic gymnastics at the second phase of the Olympic Council of Asia special development project for coaches and referees.
“I couldn’t start early and lost my chance to be an athlete. The next best thing is to become a coach and I’m very grateful for the Olympic Council of Asia as well as the Saudi Arabia Gymnastics Federation for giving me this opportunity to participate in this course,” says the articulate teenager from Riyadh.
Still a schoolgirl – a Grade 10 student at Al Tarbiyah Al Islamiyah School – Sarah’s dedication to becoming a gymnastics coach sees her rush from school to the gymnasium every school day to learn the finer points of the sport.
“I spend nearly five hours every day after school is over at the gym.
When I go home, it is late in the evening, around 9pm and after dinner I do my homework before going to sleep. It is tough but I want to become the first girl to be a fully-qualified coach in Saudi Arabia,” says Sarah.
With supportive parents and the backing of the Saudi Arabian Gymnastics Federation, Sarah feels she is well on her way to achieving her dreams of becoming a leading coach.
“In my gym, there are three-year-old kids to 50-year-old mums taking part in gymnastics. It has been a pretty huge jump from where we were and I’m happy to be part of the new Saudi Arabia.
“Life in Saudi Arabia is becoming more open for women. Society is more relaxed and free, and the Saudi Government is putting a lot of effort and resources into developing sports as well as women in sport,” added Sarah.
