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Faces of Wanabqa

Azza Attoura: Azza Attoura: Syrian Kickboxing & Muay Thai World Champion

Syrian Kickboxing & Muay Thai champion Azza Attoura is a figure who is not too well known despite her incredible achievements and honorable influence, especially on our women throughout the years of war.

When talking about strong, inspiring women, how can one not mention Syrian world athlete Azza Attoura! She is a world champion in both kickboxing and Muay Thai, has broken society’s gender stereotypes and pursued her passion in sports, destroying societal constraints, soldiering on and becoming a leading figure in her career and a role model and source of pride for us.

Azza was born in Hama in 1974, joined the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus and then began practicing kickboxing in 1995. She was interested in sports ever since childhood, including tennis, swimming, athletics, basketball and she finally switched to combat sports, gaining numerous titles and trophies. She continues her graphic design career and plays the guitar alongside her athletic journey.

Some of the international championships she participated in:

  • The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations’(WAKO) World Championship, Poland, 1997.
  • World United Martial Arts Federation (WUMA) European Open Championship, England, 1999.
  • World Kickboxing Association (WKA) World Championship, Lebanon, 1999.
  • Thai Boxing World Championship, Belgrade, 2007.
  • She is also a national discus throw champion, Syria, 2003.
  • Armenian international Championship, 1998.

Her latest title was scored at the Kickboxing World Championship in Russia in 2010, and she was also a member of Syrian basketball team “Al Thawra”. Because of the Syrian War, Azza resigned from sports with eight world titles. She did not stop there, but undertook a big societal role in Syria, promoting self-protection and self defense mainly amongst women. She founded “Ezzati (lit. My Pride) Team for Self Defence” with the following motto : “Society’s pride is the pride of its individuals”. It caters to all individuals and women in particular, regardless of age. Supervised by Azza and her professional team, self defense classes and techniques are offered in local gyms. They aim to empower women, protect them and improve their confidence, providing psychological, behavioral and sports information.

The team is highly welcomed in society, especially considering the current circumstances inflicting Syria and the increasing rates of crime. Empowering women has become a need. According to a survey by Thomson Reuters, Syria is one of the most dangerous countries for women. For years, Attoura has trained hundreds of people from all age groups and social backgrounds and is still maintaining that because her noble goal is to become a champion maker for Syria.