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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Getting bigger and better
By Abeer Anwar
The fifth national championship for the mentally disabled was exceptional, different from the previous four. In a departure from previous tournaments, athletes from 26 governorates, not just Cairo and Giza, took part. Another first: the two-day event took place under the auspices of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi decided to host the event at the Armed Forces Sports Federation, providing food, transportation and sports attire for the athletes.
Whether in the water, on the courts or on the track, athletes at the championship for mental disabled showed little mercy for their opponents nor felt sorry for themselves photos: Aref Saad Elddin
One thousand players qualified for the tournament after winning local district competitions. They competed in table tennis, athletics, futsal, basketball and swimming, doing so as any average athlete would for there is no difference in the rules. Players are classified according to sex, age and endurance. Players are divided into five age categories: 8-11; 12-16; 16-21; 21-30; and over 30.
Javelin and the discus throw are absent from track and field. In table tennis, aside from the normal game, individual skills for the physically weak are tested, whether in balancing the ball on a racket, keeping the ball in play or serving.
The players will be whittled down to 26, who, after an intensive three-month training period, will represent Egypt at the second Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Games, to take place in Morocco from 11 to 15 October. The Moroccan Games will have 400 athletes from 20 countries.
Egypt came on top with 62 medals when it hosted the first MENA championship two years ago, which included 300 players from 16 countries.
The country's record in world championships is almost as good. In the 1995 New Haven Summer Games, Egypt collected 21 medals. In the 1997 Winter Games in Canada, the floor hockey team took the silver medal. In the 1999 North Carolina Summer Games, the team won 23 medals. More challenges lie ahead as the team prepares for the Alaska Winter Games in 2001.
Ayman Abdel-Wahab, manager of Special Olympics Egypt, brimming over with enthusiasm, said Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdel-Meguid had agreed to open an account for Arab countries wishing to donate to a new Middle East office for the Special Olympics.
Weightlifting, gymnastics, handball, floor hockey and volleyball will be added to Egyptian sports for the mentally disabled, making Egypt, now with 10 sports, second only to the United States. Ashraf Marie, sector manager and godfather of sports for the mentally disabled in Special Olympics Egypt, remembers that the tournament had 124 players when it began in 1994. "Now we have waiting lists for disabled athletes who want to participate," Marie said.
