Rimla Akhtar
Dr Rimla Akhtar MBE[1] is a businesswoman and sports administrator, who champions inclusivity in sport.[2] She was the first person who publicly identified themselves as an Asian, Muslim woman on the Football Association Council.[3][4] She has spoken many times on the need for sports to adapt to accommodate Muslim athletes,[5][6][7] and has called for an increase in diversity within sports and football.[8][9][10]
She was awarded an MBE for "her contribution to equality and diversity in sport in 2015 Birthday Honours".[11]
She is the Chair of the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation (MWSF.)[12][13]
Akhtar has served on the boards of several organisations. She is currently an independent trustee of Kick It Out, an English organisation campaigning against racism in football.[14] She has also held memberships of the Asian and Muslim Women and Girls Working Group, as well as the Referees Diversity Action Group.[15]
Awards and Achievements
2013
Akhtar was listed as an Asian Women of Achievement by The Independent.[16]
2015
She was listed at number 15 in a list of the most influential women in sport by The Independent.[17] She was also nominated for Muslim Woman of the Year for the British Muslim Awards in the same year.[18] Her most notable achievement, however, was being included in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, achieving an MBE.[19]
2018
She was ranked at number 14 in a list of the Most Powerful Women in Sports by Forbes.[20][21]
Projects and Campaigns
In 2018, Akhar visited Jordan on behalf of Equal Playing Field and the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) to deliver a project in support of women’s football and empowerment.[22] The project also set out to set the Guinness World Record for the lowest football match, which was played on a pitch built by the Dead Sea.[22]
References
- ^ "Harrow Local Receives MBE". Get West London. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Champion for inclusivity in sport and global businesswoman". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "'It may take 10 years to tackle football's lack of diversity' - FA Council member Rimla Akhtar". Standard (London Evening). Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ Cunningham, Sam (2018-03-23). "Islam in Football: The profound effect the religion has had on the Premier League". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "Fiba Approves Religious Headgear Hijab". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Fashion Wakes Up To Muslim Womens Style". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Inclusive Swimwear Guidance For Competitive Swimming". Swim England. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ Child, David. "The beautiful game: Rimla Akhtar on diversity in football". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "Rimla Akhtar's goal: Ending the chronic lack of diversity in UK sport". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "'It may take 10 years to tackle football's lack of diversity' - FA". Evening Standard. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "The Gazette - Official Public Record". The Gazetter. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Muslim Women's Sports Foundation | MWSF". www.mwsf.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
- ^ "Mohamed Salah's greatest legacy may be off the pitch". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "Mohamed Salah's greatest legacy may be off the pitch". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ Child, David. "The beautiful game: Rimla Akhtar on diversity in football". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "Asian Women of Achievement: the full shortlist". The Independent. 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "The 50 most influential women in sport: The full list". The Independent. 2015-08-09. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "British Muslim Awards 2015 finalists unveiled". Asian Image. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ Association, Press (2015-06-12). "Queen's birthday honours list 2015: MBE". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sports: Nita Ambani, Mithali Raj make list topped by Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura". The Financial Express. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ "No. 14: Rimla Akhtar". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ a b Association, The Football. "Smiles and laughter". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
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