It’s taken decades for women to be taken seriously in US professional wrestling, so imagine the challenges Egyptian women face. Until recently, there was no such thing as women’s wrestling in the country, let alone a team comprising both women and men.

But Ashraf Mahrous, an Egyptian who’s coached a number of martial arts, made a move unprecedented in the history of Egyptian sports by founding the Egyptian Arab Federation of Professional Wrestlers league — the first professional program in Egypt to have male and female participants in this combat sport.

The first official match was held in September in Sharkeya governorate, but Mahrous, also known as Kabonga, founded the program five years ago in Ismailia. He started with only six wrestlers — all male. To spread interest in the sport, which is uncommon in Egypt, the coach toured other provinces to hold free shows in clubs using a portable wrestling ring he made himself. As time passed, his team grew to 50 wrestlers, including women.

“To let women join the wrestling team was a challenge for me, as it’s strange for this people in this society, men and women alike, to watch a match with female wrestlers,” Kabonga told Al-Monitor.