Under the Patronage of Prof. Dr. Souraya Al-Badaoui, Dean of the Faculty
Cairo University’s Faculty of Mass Communication Hosts a Symposium on “Media and Women’s Sports”
By: Al-Zahraa Rashad

The Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University, organized a symposium titled “Media and Women’s Sports” under the patronage of Prof. Dr. Souraya Al-Badaoui, Dean of the Faculty, with the attendance of Prof. Dr. Hanaa Farouk, Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs, and Dr. Al-Zahraa Rashad, Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Advisor to the Sports Committee.
The event was held under the supervision of Mr. Ayman Mounir, Head of Student Welfare at the Faculty, and Mr. Sameh Raafat, Sports Specialist.

The symposium featured guest speakers:

Eman El-Gamal, Olympic fencer and international referee,
Sara Moamen, former volleyball player at Al-Ahly Club, and
Heba Allah Mohamed, sports journalist at Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper.
The participants discussed the importance of practicing sports for both physical and mental well-being, as well as its role in improving individual productivity.

Eman El-Gamal shared that sports have always been her life passion, having started her athletic journey in childhood. Coming from a sports-oriented family — her father was a professor at the Faculty of Physical Education, and her sister, Shaimaa, is also a fencing champion — she expressed her pride in representing Egypt at two Olympic Games: Beijing 2008 and London 2012. She currently works in marketing at an oil company and serves as a member of the Competitions Committee of the Egyptian Fencing Federation, in addition to being an international referee.

El-Gamal also revealed her personal battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease, describing how she overcame its challenges with resilience and determination. She successfully returned to sports, got married, and is now a mother of two children — both of whom she encourages to practice sports regularly.

Sara Moamen spoke about her journey as a volleyball player, having played for Al-Ahly Club since childhood and represented the team in numerous championships. She expressed her pride in being a graduate of the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University, and shared that she received a sports management scholarship from Seoul National University in South Korea. She now works as a Youth Leader at the International Olympic Committee, focusing on sports for development initiatives.

In her remarks, Heba Allah Mohamed, a sports journalist at Al-Masry Al-Youm, emphasized the importance of continuous training for those working in media, and the value of mastering related skills such as video editing and digital platform content production. She expressed pride in being a graduate of the Faculty of Mass Communication and noted that she represented Cairo University .

Prof. Dr. Souraya Al-Badaoui, Dean of the Faculty, expressed her happiness with organizing such an event, affirming her full support for these activities as they encourage students to engage in sports and promote overall well-being. She also praised Dr. Al-Zahraa Rashad for her efforts in supporting student sports activities and for preparing the proposal for a Professional Diploma in Sports Media.

Prof. Dr. Hanaa Farouk commended the initiative, stressing the importance of events that introduce students to scholarship opportunities in media and sports and help them develop their professional skills.

In conclusion, Dr. Al-Zahraa Rashad expressed her gratitude to Prof. Dr. Souraya Al-Badaoui and Prof. Dr. Hanaa Farouk for their continuous support. She shared that her journey with sports media began during the Athens 2004 Olympics, when Egypt won five medals — a moment that sparked her deep interest in covering sports and inspired her to specialize in sports media during her university studies, culminating in her PhD research in this field.