SAWA Rights and W-Sport partner to bring women's sports channel to MENA
SAWA Rights Management, a content distribution company under the SAWA Entertainment Group, has announced a strategic partnership with W-Sport, the premier global broadcaster dedicated exclusively to women's sports. Under the agreement, W-Sport's 24-hour linear channel will be distributed across the Middle East and North Africa, reaching both residential subscribers and commercial venues for the first time.
The move marks a major expansion for W-Sport as it extends its presence into the MENA market. The channel has already launched on du TV, the UAE's telecom and digital services provider, and will now be made available to a much wider audience through SAWA Rights Management's extensive distribution network.
Kelly Butler, CEO of W-Sport, said: 'This is another significant step in the journey and development of W-Sport. We are delighted to partner with SAWA Rights Management and look forward to bringing audiences in the MENA region the very best female leagues, competitions, teams, and athletes from around the world.
'Our goal is to bring the excitement and passion of women's sports to a global audience. Partnering with SAWA Rights Management allows us to reach new fans in the MENA region and share the incredible stories of female athletes who are breaking barriers and setting new standards in sports.'
Ali Ajouz, CEO of SAWA Entertainment Group, added: 'We are thrilled to collaborate with W-Sport to enhance the sports viewing experience for our customers. This partnership aligns with our mission to provide diverse and high-quality content to our audience. We believe that showcasing women's sports will inspire and empower viewers across the region.'
W-Sport's programming features a lineup of live events, including up to ten football matches every week from top international competitions such as England's Women's Super League, Germany's Frauen Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A Femminile, Sweden's Damallsvenskan and the USL in the United States.
Beyond football, viewers will also have access to live coverage of the Super League Triathlon this summer, along with selected tournaments in tennis, netball, field hockey and athletics.
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SAWA Rights and W-Sport partner to bring women's sports channel to MENA
W-Sport offers an extensive portfolio of women's sports content, including up to 10 live football matches each week from top leagues . SAWA Rights Management, a content distribution company under the SAWA Entertainment Group, has announced a strategic partnership with W-Sport, the premier global broadcaster dedicated exclusively to women's sports. Under the agreement, W-Sport's 24-hour linear channel will be distributed across the Middle East and North Africa, reaching both residential subscribers and commercial venues for the first time. The move marks a major expansion for W-Sport as it extends its presence into the MENA market. The channel has already launched on du TV, the UAE's telecom and digital services provider, and will now be made available to a much wider audience through SAWA Rights Management's extensive distribution network. Kelly Butler, CEO of W-Sport, said: 'This is another significant step in the journey and development of W-Sport. We are delighted to partner with SAWA Rights Management and look forward to bringing audiences in the MENA region the very best female leagues, competitions, teams, and athletes from around the world. 'Our goal is to bring the excitement and passion of women's sports to a global audience. Partnering with SAWA Rights Management allows us to reach new fans in the MENA region and share the incredible stories of female athletes who are breaking barriers and setting new standards in sports.' Ali Ajouz, CEO of SAWA Entertainment Group, added: 'We are thrilled to collaborate with W-Sport to enhance the sports viewing experience for our customers. This partnership aligns with our mission to provide diverse and high-quality content to our audience. We believe that showcasing women's sports will inspire and empower viewers across the region.' W-Sport's programming features a lineup of live events, including up to ten football matches every week from top international competitions such as England's Women's Super League, Germany's Frauen Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A Femminile, Sweden's Damallsvenskan and the USL in the United States. Beyond football, viewers will also have access to live coverage of the Super League Triathlon this summer, along with selected tournaments in tennis, netball, field hockey and athletics.
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Kirsty Coventry Unveils Collaborative & Inclusive International Olympic Committee (IOC) Leadership Vision at First Public Media Roundtable
In her first major media appearance since being elected President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kirsty Coventry offered a strikingly human portrait of the leader she intends to be: humble, collaborative, and unwaveringly grounded in the values of sport, equity, and Olympism, as she addressed international media during an online open roundtable on Zoom this afternoon. FIRST WOMAN&AFRICAN Speaking candidly for over an hour, the Zimbabwean reflected on the life journey that brought her from the pools of Harare to the corridors of Olympic power in Lausanne. Her presidency, set to begin officially on Olympic Day, 23 June 2025, will mark a historic moment as she becomes the first woman and first African to lead the IOC. GROUNDED LEADERSHIP Coventry made it clear that her leadership will not be rooted in authority, but in consensus and a collaborative, human-centred vision: 'In both my personal and professional career, I've always had incredible people around me to keep me grounded and humble; those are people whom I will continue to keep around me.' She added: 'Values are at the core of our daily business, they're incredibly important in today's communities, and I hold this very close to my heart.' WHY IOC FORUMS MATTER Replying to a question from Japan's Wakako Yuki on the role of IOC Forums in attribute Conventry's vision as president, "I have a vision that I would like to see, but I want to do it in a collaborative way. 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VALUES CARRIED TO IOC PRESIDENCY Nadine Hassan from Jordan asked Kirsty, looking back on her journey, from Olympic champion to minister and now IOC President, which moments off the podium had the greatest impact in shaping the person she is today? "I'll need a moment to properly reflect on this. I think I'd have to go back to my roots. Growing up in Zimbabwe played a huge role. It's a small community in many ways. We're a big country geographically, but we're just 15 million people, and we lean on each other. "I think that kind of upbringing, maybe a bit more sheltered, surrounded by strong values and close-knit support, helped me understand the importance of having grounded, humble, genuine people around me. And it's those people who've consistently reminded me of where I come from. That's been one of the most powerful influences throughout my journey. CHALLENGES, AND DIFFICULT MEN.. New York Times reporter Tariq Panja referenced Coventry's previous remarks about dealing with 'difficult men.' She smiled knowingly and recounted the pressures she faced as a young Olympic medallist representing Zimbabwe during politically turbulent times: "As athletes, we had a lot of pressure coming from different government officials in Zimbabwe, and you know, it was hard. To look at others and trying to say, I'm an athlete, I don't believe in the politics in sport. I want to just focus on performing well," She said, without names mentioned, 'Looking back now, it taught me a lot about how to work with people, how to be respectful of differing opinions and still move forward on a shared agenda." WOMEN SUPPORT WOMEN USA's Rachel Axon asked, How has your career been shaped by other women at various career points, adding the gender equality initiatives to your role as female IOC President. Conventry highlighted the women who shaped her path, from her mother and grandmother to her university head swim coach, even Olympic trailblazers like Donna de Varona: She said,"My grandfather passed away when Mom was in her late teens. And so my grandmother was a single mom for most of her life, with three kids, and both were just incredibly strong women who raised families, and I think my mom's pretty great, and my uncle and aunt. She did a great job, but she also had a successful career in fashion. My mum got to see her doing that, so she was always an incredible role model for my sister and I." She adds: "My swim coach, Kim, who became a Division I coach while her husband was deployed overseas, with two very young kids, watching how she balanced that was inspiring. When we were preparing for the 2004 Olympics, her eldest came to Athens as a baby.. Again, I've been fortunate in my life to have very strong women around me who have shown me that it's possible. 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While she admitted it wasn't something she initially focused on, the outpouring of messages from women around the world has since left a powerful mark: 'I had a coworker tell me that his mum said, 'Never in my lifetime did I think I'd see a woman lead the movement you work for.'' That moment, she admitted, hit her deeply. 'It's not just an exciting day, it's a day with a lot of responsibility.' FROM SYDNEY TO BRISBANE Australia, particularly the Sydney 2000 Games, remains a defining touchstone for Coventry's Olympic journey. Asked about her journey coming full circle, from a wide-eyed young swimmer at Sydney 2000 to President for Brisbane 2032, Coventry shared a funny tale about struggling to put on her first Speedo sharkskin suit, helped up by none other than Australian legend Susie O'Neill: 'When we arrived in Sydney, I went into the changing room to try my Speedo suit on, and it turned into a total disaster. 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