Manchester exhibition celebrates Arab women in sport – in pictures

Olla Mourad, tennis player, Qatar. The exhibition was conceived by the Qatar Museums Authority to encourage more Arab girls to participate in sport and comes to Manchester as part of the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture celebrations. Photograph: Brigitte Lacombe

The project was shot over a period of seven month starting in December 2011 when the Arab Games were held in Doha. With the support of the Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, Brigitte and Marian Lacombe were able to set up their own outdoor studio, working side by side, capturing the athletes practicing different sports ranging from taekwondo to swimming and equestrian Photograph: Jon Super

Maryam al-Boinin, equestrian, Qatar. Photograph: Brigitte Lacombe

Kevin Moore, director of the National Football Museum, said: “We wanted to bring something different to Manchester, a truly global sports city. The National Football Museum is committed to raising awareness of the key role that women play in developing football and other sports, both now and historically and is committed to breaking down cultural and gender stereotypes" Photograph: Jon Super

Kaltham Al Mutawa, taekwondo, Qatar. Photograph: Brigitte Lacombe

Nada Mohamed Wafa, the first Qatari female swimmer to compete in the Olympic Games, said: “I am proud to be featured in this amazing exhibition. I enjoyed learning about UK culture last year when I competed in the London 2012 Olympic Games. I am excited that the exhibition is travelling to Manchester as part of Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture; I hope people of the UK enjoy learning about my country’s culture as much as I did learning about theirs.” Photograph: Jon Super