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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 June 1999 Issue No. 433 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 June 1999 Issue No. 433
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Books Living Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Hamstrung by a cash shortage
By Eman Abdel-MoetiOnly three men and two women will represent Egypt in this month's World Junior Weightlifting Championships in the United States and the reason is money, or lack of it. "The equipment the men use for training is outdated while those used by the women is considered primitive when compared to what we saw while training in other countries," Gameel Hanna, manager of the Egyptian Weightlifting Federation, said recently. Federation President Mahmoud Shukri concurred, adding the federation cannot afford to buy new equipment or send all 16 junior men and women to the US tournament. The result is that only three men were selected to participate in the Junior World Championships, to be held from 10-17 June. Abdallah Eid, in the 56-kilogramme division, was one of the lucky ones, as were Mohamed Tantawi, at 69 kilogrammes, and Ahmed Mustafa, weighing in at 94 kilogrammes. The two women, Nagham Ramadan and Madiha Abdel-Moneim, both weighing 63 kilogrammes, round out the field.
Seven years ago, things looked much brighter. The team had moved to a new facility with brand new equipment in the Maadi Olympic Centre. The move brought dividends; in 1995, the team took first place in the Sixth All-Africa Games in Zimbabwe. Since then, Egypt's rise in major championships has been steady, as exemplified by the gold medal won by Ahmed Samir in the World Championships held in Bulgaria last year.
But then came problems with women. In order to form a women's team, the federation was forced to split its budget between both sexes, a dispersal which could not fund both sides at the same time adequately. To cut down on expenses, the teams moved from the Olympic Centre to other cities less expensive than Cairo. The men went to Alexandria, the women to Ismailia. But soon another problem arose. The once-modern equipment, bought in 1992, could not hold up to the rigours of the sport and fell into disrepair.
Hanna noted that since Egypt started participating with both sexes, its position improved in the world rankings. "We succeeded in maintaining our supremacy in African and Arab events, especially with the juniors," he said.
Shukri said the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports had given the federation LE470,000 to prepare for the Arab and African Championships, but obviously had not taken the same interest in regard to the US tournament.
Hanna said weightlifting had failed to become self-financed, claiming that businessmen were not interested in shelling out money to fund weightlifting, which is not one of the country's most popular sports. "Our players receive generous offers to go play in other Arab countries," Hanna said. He urged the Supreme Council to pay more attention to sports that can bring Egypt medals in regional and world competitions but need better funding.
