Qatari wins IOC's top award for women in sports

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Lausanne (Switzerland), Jul 1 (AP) A sports administratorwho helped Qatar send its first female athletes to the Olympics received the IOC's top award for women in sports on Monday.Ahlam Salem Mubarak Al Mana was awarded the annual World Trophy today for her work as president of the Qatar Women's Sport Committee.The International Olympic Committee called her "a pioneer for women's rights in Qatar" and said she "has played an active role in popularizing sports among schoolgirls" in the Gulf country.The IOC said Al Mana also played an "integral role" in the participation of four Qatari female athletes at last year's London Olympics, the first time Qatar sent women athletes to the games."Concerned about the lack of coaches in Qatar, she took an active role in promoting teachers from different schools into coaching positions and appointed overseas coaches for various sports teams in the country," the IOC said. Women from five continents also received awards for promoting gender equality.