Shireen Ahmed

Shireen Ahmed is a multi-platform sports journalist, a TEDx speaker, mentor, and an award-winning sports activist who focuses on the intersections of racism and misogyny in sports. She is an industry expert on Muslim women in sports, and her research and contributions to this topic are immeasurable. She is an Inclusion and Diversity consultant, an athlete, advocate, and community organizer, works with Youth of Colour on empowerment projects and is an avid sports coach and mentor. Shireen is a regular contributor to CBC Sports, Muslimah Media Watch and a former Global Sports Correspondent for Safe World For Women and Muslim Women in Sports website. She is also a Senior Contributor with CBC Sports.

Shireen holds a Master of Arts in Media Production from Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Canada, where she now teaches Sports Journalism and Sports Media.

She is part of a team of five women who created the weekly Burn It All Down podcast, the first feminist sports podcast that analyzes sports culture from an intersectional feminist lens.

Shireen is an industry expert in Muslim women in sports. Her work has been featured and discussed in the Burn it All Down podcast, CBC Sports, Sports Illustrated, espnW, TSN, The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, The Establishment, Vice Sports, Rewire, Bitch Media, The Shadow League, FanSided, Mic, Footynions, Football Beyond Borders, The National Post, Globe and Mail, CBC, Today's Parent, Best Health Magazine, Aquila Style, Islamic Monthly, Chatelaine, Women Talk Sports, Media Diversified, and Edge of Sports Radio.

Shireen has lectured and presented her work at several post-secondary institutions in Canada, the United States and England.

She is on the advisory board of the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) organization. She has consulted on various projects, including the INSPIRE project with FareNet, and the film "New Generation Queens," among countless others. She is also on the advisory board for Hijabi Ballers. Shireen was a moderator for the Screening Committee of the Canadian Sport Film Festival 2018. Shireen is a member of the executive committee of the Muslim Women in Sport Network.

Shireen’s piece on rape apologia by Muslim basketball fans was published in Best Canadian Sports Writing 2017. Her column “Moving the Chains” was the most widely read series at ProDay Media. Shireen was also the guest editor of Mizna's 36th journal issue titled "The Playing Field."

She was the 2018 Naiem Malik Memorial Award recipient for all her work towards advocating sports amongst Muslim women. She was also named to the Muslim Women in Sports Powerlist 2018.

Shireen’s blog “Tales from a Hijabi Footballer,” where her passion for sport, politics and women’s issues collide, has been recognized by Sports Media for its candid discussions.

She is currently working on her first book and drinks a lot of coffee. Shireen lives in Mississauga, Canada, with her family and her amazing cat, Sitara.

Follow her on Twitter: @_shireenahmed_

Sub-specialties: Sports journalism/Sportswriting, Muslim women in Sports, Muslim women in Media, Women of Colour in Sports, Sexism and Misogyny in Sportswriting and Sports Journalism, Racism in Sportsmedia, Racism and Misogyny in Sport