Two Jordanian women athletes made history last weekend after participating in a football game held just below the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Yasmeen Shabsough and Haneen Al-Khateeb took part in the historic football game, which was organized on the 24th of June by the Equal Playing Field Initiative - aiming to call for an "equal playing field for women in Sport."
The match is considered "the highest altitude FIFA regulation football game ever played."
It came after a group of female players, made up of women from over 20 countries, climbed the 5,895 meters high mountain over a period of seven days.
Two remarkable women athletes
Both Shabsough (left) and Al-Khateeb (right) are university students who took up football at an early age.
However, their passion for the game "wasn't always something that their society understood or respected."
In an interview with A Plus, Al-Khateeb explains that this is because for many, football is still seen as a male sport.
"We played with no crowds. We had no support but our families'. We had to cheer for each other," she said.
Despite the lack of outside support, the two women persevered and continued to pursue their passion.
In preparation for the Equal Field Playing challenge, they spent months doing CrossFit training and hiking with altitude masks.
Princess Haya congratulates Shabsough and Al-Khateeb
Princess Haya bint Al Hussein was one of the first to congratulate both Jordanian athletes on their achievement.
In a post shared via her official Instagram account, she wrote: "I am so proud of these two remarkable Jordanian athletes Yasmeen Shabsough & Haneen Khateeb who this weekend along with athletes from 25 nations climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and took part in a record breaking football game! The highest altitude FIFA regulation football game ever played."
"Campaigning for equality, opportunity, and respect for women in sport. This really shows us all 'anything is possible,'" she added.
Princess Haya also revealed that her brother Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association and a long-time campaigner for women in the game, had supported Shabsough and Al-Khateeb in their efforts as well.