The third edition of the Saudi Games concluded in October 2024, leaving a lasting legacy in the hearts and minds of those who took part.

Some 9,000 local and expatriate athletes competed in 52 sporting disciplines, among them Elisa Grassi. The Italian expat, competing in her second Games, took gold in the women’s road cycling event.

Grassi, 28, is originally from northern Italy. A biomedical researcher by profession, she discovered a passion for cycling not at home, but after moving to Saudi Arabia in 2019.

She says embracing cycling was the “best decision” of her life.

In this episode of The Mettleset Podcast, Dawn talks to Grassi about her not one, but two Saudi Games gold medals. She shares her journey from biomedical research to cycling, the challenges she faced, and how her decision to embrace cycling led to her success. Elisa reflects on her second Saudi Games experience, where she clinched her second gold medal, and the strong support from her teammates and coach.

This episode was originally published in October 2024.

Find Saudi Games Gold Medalist, Elisa Grassi at (@greli_)

🌍 Stay Connected with – and support – The Mettleset

• 📥 Newsletter: Sign up here for athlete stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and women’s sports news from MENA and beyond
• 📸 Instagram: @themettleset
• 💼 LinkedIn: The Mettleset on LinkedIn

Credits:

• Host: Dawn Barnable
• Guest: Elisa Grassi
• Produced by: The Mettleset

🚲 The Mettleset is a multimedia platform and online community dedicated to sharing stories of underrepresented athletes and underreported sports from the Middle East and beyond. With a mission to diversify the sporting ecosystem, it is the first and only sports platform in the Middle East to put women in sport first, while also featuring niche sporting communities such as action and endurance sports.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Dawn

Today’s episode is brought to you with the support of New Balance. 👟

** Originally aired 27 May, 2024 and worth a (re)listen**

Hello everyone.

Today’s guest is one of the region’s most prominent sports journalists.

She and I met years ago while I was working in public relations, managing the communications for Yas Marina Circuit for the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and Reem was working as a journalist with Sport 360.

Since that time, Reem’s career has flourished. She is a sports writer, columnist and video journalist for UAE's The National and Saudi Arabia’s Arab News, a tennis contributor to CNN and Eurosport, a contributor to wire agency AFP, as well as other outlets including The Guardian US, BBC News, Dubai Eye 103.8, Al Arabiya, and Wimbledon.com. She regularly interviews some of the world’s and region’s most famous athletes and travels the world to cover a range of sports stories, not just tennis as she clarifies in our chat.

Most recently, Reem became the host and concept creator of the podcast Abtal, a series dedicated to Arab athletes and their journeys to the Paris 2024 Olympics - linked below.

In our chat, we discuss:

• 🎙️ the state of sports media and why it's important to adapt and learn
• 🎙️ some of her most memorable moments as a sports journalist including Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur & Maradona just to name a few
• 🎙️ her new podcast Abtal
• 🎙️ what advice she’d give aspiring sports journalists
• 🎙️ who to watch for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris
• 🎙️ the shift in sports journalism and why that’s a good thing for women’s sports,
• 🎙️ and what more is needed to really level the playing field when it comes to fair and equal coverage of women athletes.

This is a must-listen for anyone working in women’s sports or anyone with aspirations to do so!

Useful links:

🔗 Reem on Instagram

🔗 Reem’s new podcast Abtal

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Dawn

Today’s episode is brought to you with the support of New Balance. 👟

In this episode, host Dawn Barnable is joined by Monika Staab, a true pioneer in women’s football, to discuss the incredible journey of developing women’s football in Saudi Arabia. Recorded late last year, Monika reflects on her incredible role as the technical director for the Saudi women’s national football program, a role she has since stepped down from but whose impact continues to shape the sport in the Kingdom.

Since the establishment of the Saudi Women’s Premier League (SWPL) in 2022, the league has experienced rapid growth, with Al Nassr winning back-to-back-to-back league titles in 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25. The 2024-25 season also marked a milestone with the league expanding from 8 to 10 clubs, increasing the number of match weeks and attracting over 200 players to the Kingdom’s top-flight league.

Monika discusses the historic first international match for the Saudi women’s national team, the development of grassroots programs, and the significant support from women in leadership positions. She also shares insights into the ongoing cultural shift in Saudi Arabia towards greater participation of women in sports, and how football is being embraced as a career by more and more women.

Key stats about the growth of Saudi women’s football include:

• ⚽ 44% of Saudis now follow the SAFF Women’s Premier League (SWPL)
• ⚽ 77,000 girls engage in football weekly, showing the sport’s growing appeal across the Kingdom
• ⚽ Over 200 players registered for the SWPL in the 2024-25 season
• ⚽ 72% of respondents in a recent report stated that women’s football attracts fans who previously felt excluded from the sport

In this episode, we dive into:

• ⚽ Monika’s start and career in sports
• ⚽ Monika’s pivotal role in shaping women’s football in Saudi Arabia
• ⚽ The growth of the Saudi Women’s Premier League and its future
• ⚽ The first international match for the Saudi women’s national team
• ⚽ How the SWPL continues to attract international talent and sponsorship
• ⚽ The cultural shift in Saudi Arabia towards embracing women’s football
• ⚽ And much more.

Monika’s journey is a testament to the power of vision, leadership, and perseverance. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the future of women’s football, particularly in the MENA region.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Saudi Football Federation
• Saudi Women’s Premier League

📊 Reports:

• NEOM & AFC - Pioneering Change: Women’s Football in Saudi Arabia
• FOOTBALL CO & INDIVISA - The Time is Now

🌍 Stay Connected with – and support – The Mettleset

• 📥 Newsletter: Sign up here for athlete stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and women’s sports news from MENA and beyond
• 📸 Instagram:

Today’s episode is brought to you with the support of New Balance. 👟

In this episode, host Dawn Barnable sits down with motorsport athlete Aliyyah Koloc, who has already made racing history, and she’s only just getting started.

Born and raised in Dubai, Aliyyah became the youngest-ever competitor in the Dakar Rally at just 18 - but before that, she had already secured two truck racing speed records. Since then, she’s added a GT4 endurance championship title to her name, continuing to make her mark on motorsport.

They talk about:

• What it takes to compete in the Dakar, one of the world’s toughest motorsport races
• Her mental and physical training regimen
• Competing with and against older, more experienced racers
• How her Asperger’s diagnosis has shaped her perspective and performance
• Her goals, growth, and what keeps her grounded off the track

Whether you’re a motorsport fan or just love stories of resilience, determination, and breaking new ground, this conversation is for you.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Aliyyah Koloc – Buggyra Racing
• @aliyyahkoloc
• Dakar Rally
• Vehicles of the Dakar - a handy guide
• Creventic 24H Series
• More on Aliyyah’s GT4 win

🌍 Stay Connected with - and support - The Mettleset

• 📥 Newsletter: Sign up here for athlete stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and women’s sports news from MENA and beyond
• 📸 Instagram: @themettleset
• 💼 LinkedIn: The Mettleset on LinkedIn

Credits:

• Host: Dawn Barnable
• Guest: Aliyyah Koloc
• Produced by: The Mettleset

🚲 The Mettleset is a multimedia platform and online community dedicated to sharing stories of underrepresented athletes and underreported sports from the Middle East and beyond. With a mission to diversify the sporting ecosystem, it is the first and only sports platform in the Middle East to put women in sport first, while also featuring niche sporting communities such as action and endurance sports.

At just 10 years old, Atiqa Mir is one of the most exciting young names in global motorsport. The first Indian and Asian girl selected to the F1 Academy’s Discover Your Drive program, she’s already won at Le Mans and collected over 30 trophies. But her journey hasn’t been easy.

In this episode of The Mettleset Podcast, Atiqa opens up about overcoming bullying on and off the track, staying focused in a male-dominated sport, and how she’s training — physically and mentally — to reach Formula 1. Her father, former national karting champion Asif Mir, joins to share the behind-the-scenes of raising a trailblazer.

All this as momentum builds in the region: the Saudi Grand Prix just wrapped, Farah AlYousef made her F1 Academy debut, and Sebastian Vettel’s Race 4 Women initiative is pushing the future of female motorsport forward.

🔗 Links 🔗

• Atiqa on Instagram
• Atiqa Mir’s F1 Academy feature – ABC News
• Farah AlYousef enters F1 Academy Round 2
• Sebastian Vettel’s Race 4 Women

❤️ Follow The Mettleset on Instagram: @themettleset

📧 Sign up for The Mettleset newsletter: sign up here

Support the Show:

💬 Love the episode? Leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend!

-Dawn

In this episode of The Mettleset Podcast, we take you into the world of BASE jumping with two of the sport’s top athletes, Katie Hansen and Cornelia Mihai. Fresh off their participation in EXIT 139—a historic two-day event where 31 jumpers from 15 countries completed an astonishing 437 jumps from the Burj Khalifa—they share what it means to take that leap, both physically and mentally.

Beyond the spectacle, BASE jumping isn’t just about adrenaline—it’s about trust, presence, and embracing life at full intensity. In a short but sweet episode, Katie and Cornelia reflect on their experiences, the mindset behind the sport, and why it’s not about being reckless, but about truly living.

Links:

• 🔗 Read the full Arab News article: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2591124/sport
• 🔗 Follow The Mettleset on Instagram: @themettleset
• 🔗 Follow Katie Hansen on Instagram: @flywithkatie
• 🔗 Follow Cornelia Mihai on Instagram: @cornelia_mihai
• 🔗 Sign up for The Mettleset newsletter: sign up here

Support the Show:

💬 Love the episode? Leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend!

-Dawn

The UAE Tour Women (Feb 6-9) is the Middle East’s first and only Women’s WorldTour race, where the world’s best cyclists battle it out over four intense stages covering 540km across the UAE’s desert landscapes. In this special three-part series,

In Episode 3 of our three part BTS series we celebrate UAE Team ADQ’s incredible victory, with insights from key figures who made it happen:

• 🚲 Melissa Moncada, Head of Team, on the significance of this win for UAE cycling and the growth of women’s cycling in the region.
• 🚲 Cherie Pridham, Head of Sport, a trailblazer as the first woman to hold a sport director role on a men’s WorldTour team before joining UAE Team ADQ, shares her thoughts on the team’s performance and success.
• 🚲 Silvia Persico, who finished second in the GC and was instrumental in Elisa Longo Borghini’s Stage 3 victory, reflects on her role and the team’s strategy.
• 🚲 Elisa Longo Borghini, fresh off her GC win, shares her experience of the race, her emotions after taking the overall victory, and a personal reflection on racing with her brother as a tour director.

🔗 Links discussed in this episode:

• 📖 Read Dawn’s full race coverage in Arab News
• 📸 Follow UAE Team ADQ on Instagram
• 🚲 For more stories on women in sport! Find us on @themettleset ✨
• 📩 Subscribe to The Mettleset newsletter for exclusive stories on MENA women’s sports, HERE

In this series:

• Episode 1: Inside the race with journalist Emma Cole
• Episode 2: A behind-the-scenes look inside the Human Powered Health support car

🚲 For more stories on women in sport! Find us on @themettleset ✨

📩 Subscribe to The Mettleset newsletter for exclusive stories on MENA women’s sports, HERE

— Dawn

Welcome to The Mettleset Podcast! This is Episode 2 of our special three-part series taking you behind the scenes at the UAE Tour Women—the Middle East’s first and only Women’s WorldTour race, held from February 6-9, 2025.

I go BTS in Human Powered Health team’s support car during Stage *, the final stage of the race. Riding alongside Communications Director Oscar Skarsbrook and Soigneur Jose Leite—also known as a swanny,the ultimate Swiss Army knife of a cycling team—I get an exclusive look at the inner workings of a pro cycling team on race day.

In our support van chat, we discuss:

• 🚲 The role of a support team in pro cycling
• 🚲 The dynamics of race-day logistics
• 🚲 Human Powered Health’s mission and team culture
• 🚲 The importance of soigneurs in keeping a team on the road
• 🚲 The Embrace Every Moment series by Wahoo

A huge thank you to Oscar, Jose, and the entire Human Powered Health team for this unforgettable experience.

🔗 More on what was discussed in this episode:

• 🚲 Learn more about Human Powered Health: https://www.instagram.com/hphcycling/
• 🚲 Watch Wahoo’s Embrace Every Moment series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOA289t6dxQ
• 🚲 For more stories on women in sport! Find us on @themettleset ✨
• 📩 Subscribe to The Mettleset newsletter for exclusive stories on MENA women’s sports, HERE

Enjoy!

Dawn