Global Sports Mentoring Program

Riding without limits: A plan for inclusive Equestrianism in Egypt

Egyptian sports advocate and athlete Habiba Ahamed Mohammed Rezk is challenging societal limitations with people with physical and intellectual disabilities through sports. To Habiba, people with special needs deserve the same rights to enjoy and grow through sports as their differently-abled peers.

A highly decorated and esteemed professional horseback rider, Habiba’s success in sports extends beyond her personal athletic accomplishments. She concurrently serves as a horseback riding coach to athletes around Egypt with special needs. Under her guidance, Habiba’s athletes have placed competitively in major horseback riding competitions around the world. Their success, combined with her own impressive legacy in the sport, afforded her the opportunity to serve as a horseback riding coach for the Berlin World Games in 2023.

Habiba is eager for concrete feedback during the GSMP on her current operational strategies and her plans for expansion. She hopes to expand her network within the global sports field in order to realize mutually beneficial learning and create informed empowerment solutions in Egypt and beyond.

Habiba will be mentored by Mia Hansen, Executive Director at Adaptive Sports of Southern Arizona.

Mia Hansen, Tucson, AZ

Founder, Southern Adaptive Sports (SAAS)

Mia Hansen is the Founder of Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports (SAAS) serving the community through the provision and promotion of fitness, recreation, and competitive sports opportunities for people with disabilities. SAAS offers handcycling and wheelchair sports including basketball, softball, and tennis. Mia served on The City of Tucson Commission on Disability Issues, the Pima County Health Department Ethics Committee, and The Chuck Huckleberry Loop Advisory Committee advocating for the disability community.

Mia is a Festival & Event producer. She has produced performance art, cultural and sporting events in 25 countries. She choreographed and performed in two NFL Super Bowl Halftime shows and traveled the world with the international organization Up with People.

In 2010 Mia became the first Executive Director of Tucson Meet Yourself, building management capacity and growing Tucson’s iconic folk life festival to a sustainable model through its 40th year. Mia consults with the festival and event industry, producing concerts, festivals, cultural events, and spectacles of all sizes.

She volunteers with refugees resettled in the Tucson area from war-torn countries and has coordinated Tucson World Refugee Festivals.

Mia graduated with honors from the University of Oregon with a dual degree in Dance and Recreation and Park Management. She enjoys cycling, dancing, cooking, traveling, and most of all, continuing her pursuit of lifelong learning by being involved in a variety of projects and community service duties.

Riding without limits: A plan for inclusive Equestrianism in Egypt

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