In 2004, then 17-year-old Abeer Essawy represented Egypt as a Taekwondo fighter in the Athens Olympic Games. She continued her athletic success in the years after and won five consecutive titles in the African Championship from 2003 to 2007. Now that she’s finished her competitive career in martial arts, Abeer has transitioned to fighting for gender rights in her country by creating easier access to sport programs.   

Abeer serves as a member of the Athlete’s Commission for the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC). In her role, she interacts with national sports federations and represented Egypt at the Second World Olympians Forum in 2019. She also leverages her experience and network in sports to educate and empower a new generation of Egyptian women, focusing on increasing the percentage of women involved in leadership levels of the Olympic Committee.  

In 2020, Abeer co-founded the Egyptian Sports Network (ESN), the first non-football sports network in the country. The network focuses on generating interest in Olympic sports and developing stronger, larger sport-based communities. The following year, Abeer was elected an Executive Board Member with the World Olympians Association (WOA), an association of accredited Olympic competitors that promote Olympic ideals and fair play.