Sara Gamal, an Egyptian lady, is poised to make record as the first Muslim and African woman to work as a basketball referee at the Tokyo Olympics.
As per Asia One News, Gamal, an Egyptian civil engineer, will also make history by becoming the first Arab woman to officiate 3×3 basketball. The game will be played for the first time in Tokyo.
The referee told that she has received comments from several female referees in Egypt who have thanked her for giving them hope that their aspirations are possible.
The majority of them believed they had no chance in large tournaments outside of the ones they referee in their own country.
Gamal has blazed a route for influential young referees and players before, including in the FIBA World Youth Cup in Belarus in 2018 and the African Women’s Championship in 2017. She is not frightened or intimidated by refereeing male players on hardwood courts, while working in a male-dominated sector as a civil engineer in Alexandria.
She’s excited to put her skills and experience on display during the Olympics. She began as a player before switching to refereeing at the age of 16 because she had a strong desire to gain a better understanding of the rules.
