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Al-Ahram Weekly 12 - 18 August 1999 Issue No. 442 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 12 - 18 August 1999 Issue No. 442
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Gymnastics
A pot of gold awaits Egypt
The ninth Pan-Arab Games began yesterday in Jordan with Egypt expected to dominate. Al-Ahram Weekly reviews the country's preparations and what it expects to achieve in Amman
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Players in all fields are hungry for gold -- whether it be during their training or in actual competitions
photos: Osama Abdel-Nabi
Coach Abdel-Raouf El-Hagrassy flatly asserts Egypt has a solid chance of crushing arch rivals Algeria and Morocco. Indeed, the country's artistic and rhythmic gymnasts have been preparing themselves since early 1990 to do just that. The newly-elected federation, headed by Wagdi Abul-Ma'ati, had sent the team to Europe to hone their skills to the fullest. The artistic gymnasts participated in the Romanian Open from 23 to 26 April where 29 countries participated. Surprise gold medallist in the Mediterranean Games Raouf Abdel-Karim won sixth place in the horse event while Walid Said won third place in the ring event. From 21 July to 4 August, both men and women went to France. But the team's best preparation came during a two-month stay in China in May and June. Rhythmic gymnasts Sherine Karam, Yasmine Youssef, May Essam and Maha Kashlan entered two competitions in the European Grand Prix. Youssef took eighth place in Portugal in February while Karam managed only tenth place. The pair fared worse in Greece in March where they played against 30 competitors from 15 European countries. The rhythmic gymnasts also participated in the Four Continents Cup held in the United States from 8 to 15 June.Weightlifting
The team was a bit shaken in the wake of the sudden defections of Hani Bassiuni and Ali Attia to Qatar to play professionally. The team, currently training at the Olympic Centre in Maadi, also trained in Bulgaria from 10 to 25 June and in Alexandria under the guidance of Gaber Hafez. Although the team members are widely known to be discontented with their level of pay compared to other Arab weightlifters, the word from the camp is that they are determined to maintain their supremacy in Arab weightlifting. Egypt previously won the Arab Championships four times.Taekwondo
The men's and women's teams will most likely sweep the medals in this sport which is relatively new to the Arab world and which Egypt has dominated from the start. Led by coach Amr Khairy, the team is using the Games as a launching pad for its ultimate goal: medals at the 2000 Olympics. Yehia Allam, Tamer Abdel-Meneim, Mahmoud Shalabi and Talaat Mabrouk are just some of the big guns Egypt has. The women's team is in a weaker position following the announcement that world flyweight champion Marwa El-Hami was to retire. In preparation for the Games, the team took first place in the Netherlands Open, held from 10 to 19 March, winning two gold medals, three silver and a bronze. The team also participated in the Spanish Open in April, garnering one gold, two silver and two bronze. In June, the team spent three weeks in South Korea, home to the current world champions, where they honed their fighting skills.Cycling
The federation, headed by Tarek El-Guindi, expects at least three medals but the players believe they are much better than that. Arch-rivals Syria, Algeria and Saudi Arabia are the main obstacles. But thanks to a rigorous training programme, the cyclists have their hopes high. From 13 to 21 March, the team participated in the Saudi Arabia Open, which included powerhouses England, Germany, Slovakia and Iran. Amr El-Nadi won first place in the individual event and Khaled Said took the fourth spot. In May, the team won the gold medal in the team's event at the Thailand Open while El-Nadi and Mohamed Abdel-Fattah won first and second place in the individual event. From 12 to 18 May, the team took third place in the Algerian championship which hosted the North African countries. In June, the team won a silver medal in the Irish International Tournament in which 30 countries participated and in July, Egypt won the bronze medal at the Latvia Open. The team's last stop was in Slovakia in July for a 10-day training session. In addition to what they will receive from the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, El-Guindi has promised the players a bonus for every medal they win.Fencing
Manager Mokhtar Abdel-Shafi expects at least 10 medals in the men's epee, the women's foil and the men's saber. "Some countries have one good player in only one event like saber or foil," Abdel-Shafi said. "But all our players in the three events are good and are ready." Abdel-Shafi's expectations are not without foundation. The teams spent three weeks in Belarus preparing for the Games and for decades Egypt has dominated the sport. But recently the picture has begun to change. Saudi Arabia has emerged as Egypt's biggest threat. In addition, Abdel-Shafi admitted the women's standard had dropped markedly since several retirements were announced, with no viable substitutes in sight. As a result, Morocco and Algeria will vie for the top women's honours.Boxing
In the 1997 Arab Games in Lebanon, the players snatched first place, winning six medals. The federation expects to clinch five medals in Amman and another first-place finish. Twelve boxers will be going to Jordan led by a new head coach from the Ukraine hired six months ago. The team underwent a three-week training session in the Ukraine where they pummelled away at a number of world champions. The players who are expected to shine at the Games are Mohamed Heikel in the 71 kilogramme category, Mohamed Reda in 91kg, Ramadan Abdel-Ghaffar in 75kg, Mohamed Abdel-Rehim in 48kg and Saleh Bari in the 60kg weight division. Egypt's main rivals in the ring will be Algeria, Syria, Tunisia and Morocco.Kick Boxing
Kick boxing joined the Arab Games in 1997 and Egypt will be participating for the first time. The game's delegation will comprise 12 players who are expected to collect five medals. Like in boxing, the team is trained by a Ukrainian who took over only a month ago and who is expected to leave following the games no matter what the outcome. In preparation, the team participated in the first Arab kick boxing championship which took place in Jordan in May and trained at the Maadi Olympic Centre. The team's best chances will come from Mohamed Abdel-Rahman, Zaki Mohamed and Ismail Ali. Look for Lebanon and hosts Jordan as strong contenders.Table Tennis
Five men and four women will be defending their gold medals won at the previous Games. The team is expected to win eight medals. A new Russian coach is in charge until the African Games in Johannesburg in September. In preparation for the Games, the men participated in the World Championship last month in Japan after which both the men and women trained at the Maadi Olympic Centre. The team's hopes rest on Ashraf Sobhi, Sherif El-Saket, Ahmed Saleh and Shaimaa Abdel-Aziz. Tunisia and Algeria promise the strongest competition.Karate
Karate is the second biggest delegation after shooting with 26 players, 16 men and 10 women. In 1997, Egypt won first place in the men and women's individual and team events. According to the Egyptian Karate Federation, Egypt is expected to collect 16 medals. The team is trained by two coaches, Zakaria Abdel-Aziz for Kumite events and Ayman Abdel-Wahab for the Kata. The team's preparation was done exclusively at the Maadi Olympic Centre. The team's best athletes are Seif Mustafa, Karim Sherif and Hussein El-Desouki. Though the Egyptians dominate the regional mat, they are expecting a tough challenge from Tunisia and Algeria.Volleyball
The team was stripped of its gold medal in 1997 after a player tested positive for a banned substance. The gold was consequently awarded to runner-up Algeria. A repeat of that debacle is not expected and a first place finish is expected, despite the retirement of six players and the subsequent inclusion of players with little international experience. In Russia, the team lost the four preparatory matches it played against the Russian national team and a junior squad. In Turkey, Egypt beat Venezuela 3-1 and lost to Turkey 3-1 and Bulgaria 3-0. Egypt's main rivals will be the newly crowned African champions Tunisia which recently defeated Egypt in Cairo for the African title. A Russian coach took over the Egyptian team three months ago.Handball
Ranked seventh in the world, the team is expecting nothing less than a gold medal. The main problem is finding a coach. So far, the federation has been unable to find a replacement following the departure of Spaniard Javier Cuesta. The team is being led temporarily by national coach Mohamed El-Alfi. Although the team did not prepare fully for the Games, the recent world championships which Egypt hosted should be enough. Tunisia and Algeria are expected to give the Egyptians problems.Swimming
Traditionally, the pool has always been owned by the Egyptians. In 1997, the country's swimmers clinched first place in both the men's and women's disciplines. World class swimmer Rania Elwani dominated, winning a record nine gold medals and two silvers. From swimming, Egypt collected 45 medals, the most in any one event. In Amman, the federation has promised an even bigger haul -- 53 medals.Equestrian
In preparation for the Games, the team participated in international competitions in France and the Netherlands, finishing in first place both times. A first place finish in Jordan is on the cards as well.Wrestling
Under the supervision of a Russian coach, Egypt is touted to clinch first place. In 1997, Egypt's wrestlers downed their opponents one after another, collecting 13 medals. The same number is being predicted by the federation this time.Tennis
In Lebanon, Egypt won a gold medal in men's singles, silver in men's teams, and two bronze in the women's doubles and team event. In Jordan, the expectations are two gold in men's singles and team and a silver or bronze in women's singles and team. Under Spanish coach Gaston Escofet, the men's team had six weeks of international competition; three weeks in Greece and Turkey and three in Egypt. Egypt goes into the tournament with four men and four women: Amr Ghoneim, Gehad El-Deeb, Marawan Zewar and Karim Ma'moun make up the men's side while Dalia El-Sheikh, Yomna Farid, Dalia Qatri and Sarah Adel round out the women's team. Three of the women are juniors and will need all the help they can get from coach Khaled Farouk. Morocco and Lebanon are favourites along with Egypt in the men's event while Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria will be tough to beat in the women's event.Basketball
Under new Italian coach Mario Belazoni the men's team is looking to emulate the gold medal won in 1997. They camped in Rome for two weeks where, against Italian clubs, they won twice and lost once. The team then lost to Nigeria in the semi-finals of the African Nations Basketball Championship and had to settle for third place. As for the women, the defending champions, they began training on 25 June under coach Mahmoud Amer. They won all their five friendly matches played in Romania and Syria. The men can expect a strong challenge from Tunisia, Algeria, Syria and Saudi Arabia while Tunisia and Algeria will probably give the women a few headaches.Shooting
In three recent major championships held in Cyprus, Italy and Finland, Egypt did noticeably well, succeeding in qualifying for the 2000 Olympics. Under the watchful eye of two Russian coaches, Egypt's shooters are aiming for 27 medals: 10 gold, 10 silver and seven bronze. The stars are Khaled Thabet, Mustafa Hamdi, Omar El-Gayyar and Mohamed El-Sharqawi in the skeet event, Adham Medhat, Tarek Thabet and Hussein El-Deeb in the trap and Ayman Mazhar, Mohamed El-Shazli and Adham Medhat in the double trap.
