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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 May 2000 Issue No. 481 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 May 2000 Issue No. 481
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Features Interview Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters 'I have a dream'
By Inas Mazhar
The minister of youth and sports has a dream: He wants Egypt to host the 2008 Olympic Games. But Alieddin Hilal firmly believes his dream can become reality. "Egypt has all the facilities required to organise such an important event," Hilal said. "This is the greatest sporting event in the world. Twenty-three cities were bestowed the honour before, so why not Cairo? We are not lesser than the others."
Egypt's Youth Minister, Alieddin Helal meeting with Cairo governorate and IOC officials to discuss Cairo hosting the 2008 Olympics
The road to the Olympics, Hilal would agree, is anything but strewn with roses. Nevertheless he has made no secret of his dismay at those who question Egypt's abilities to host the spectacle. "Why can't we organise such an event?" Hilal asked detractors. "In organisation, we have the greatest experience in the world in successfully and superbly organising world championships. Second, we have all the facilities required. The government is supporting us. Some authorities have even started from now. We consider it a national project."
Already, indeed, the Cairo Governorate has offered to allocate 400 feddans for an Olympic village. The minister of housing has promised to donate 100 feddans for a similar complex along the Cairo-Ismailia highway.
"We will start from now holding competitions for designing the Olympics' mascot, logo and slogan," Hilal enthused. "We do not want to wait until 2001 to be selected. We should prove to them that we are taking everything seriously now."
Serious work did start two months ago, when a bid for the Olympics was signed at the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee. The papers will be officially submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in June. The IOC will then send an inspection team to Egypt to check its facilities and the future projects planned for the Olympics. The city to be awarded the 2008 Olympics will be selected in 2001. "We have the support of the government," Hilal said. "This is very important because the IOC never awards any city the Olympics unless it is backed by the government."
An Olympics means medals, an area where Egypt might be found wanting. But Hilal said medals were not the issue "because this can't be guaranteed." Still, he said studies were being made "to see who has the best chance of winning a medal." The studies indicate that Egypt can win at least 14 medals from 25 sports, including handball, wrestling, judo, football, boxing, weightlifting, rowing, shooting, swimming, track and field, bodybuilding, squash and karate. "This will be our target," Hilal said. "And we hope to succeed."
Hilal felt compelled to answer his critics one more time. "They say we are unable to hold it [the Olympics] because the country suffers from problems such as traffic. They think that these problems are obstacles. So what do we do? Surrender or accept reality? I think we have to imagine how Cairo would look like in eight years time and plan ahead accordingly. We should start from now working for the Olympics since we already have the basics. With some hard work, we will make it in time. We still have eight years to go.
"If Cairo is so honoured, we will start work immediately. A special committee of experts and top officials will be formed in order to start preparing."
While Hilal alluded to the billions generated by the Olympics which enter the coffers of the host city, it is not materialistic concerns that fuel his ambition. "Organising the Olympics is a great opportunity to create an Egyptian sports renaissance," he said. "We have a golden opportunity which we shouldn't miss because we could write sports history by becoming the first African nation to organise the Olympic Games. The African continent hasn't been granted this honour before while all other continents have. Therefore, we should reconsider everything related to helping us win the bid. We need to draw up a map that would lead us along the right path."
