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Al-Ahram Weekly 31 August - 6 September 2000 Issue No. 497 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 31 August - 6 September 2000 Issue No. 497
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters From third to first
By Abeer AnwarIn an achievement worthy of a gold medal, Special Olympics Egypt (SOE), which caters to mentally disabled athletes, has leapfrogged from an internationally categorised third to first level.
Announcing the news at a press conference, Jane McCarthy, deputy manager of Special Olympics International (SOI), said she was amazed that a country like Egypt could develop such a great deal in a very short period of time. "I have never seen such great progress before," said McCarthy, who has been monitoring SOE's development since its inception in 1994, employing in this task some of its 100 committees that SOI has scattered around the world.
To put Egypt's achievement in perspective, out of 180 SOI member states, only five countries -- Japan, Germany, Belgium, the United States and Britain -- are in the first level. Several developed countries, including France, are still in the SOI's third stage category. Egypt is the first Arab and African country to have highjumped all the way to the top.
In 1994, SOE had 288 intellectually disabled athletes. Today, it has mushroomed to 13,000 players, 1,000 coaches and 200 referees.
"This has not come haphazardly," Ayman Abdel-Wahab, national director of SOE, said. "It came after a great effort."
"Being so honoured is due to Mrs Suzanne Mubarak's efforts and help," SOE President Ismail Osman added. Among her many gestures of support, Mrs Mubarak hosted the athletes at the Opera House after Egypt won the silver medal in the North Carolina Games in September 1999.
The team and SOE Chairman Osman (centre, back row)
The SOI investigating committees took into consideration Egypt's philanthropic activities and the ability of businessmen to financially support disabled athletes, in this case the mentally disadvantaged.
Another consideration is SOE's ability to collect donations since this particular source of revenue is basic to the organisation's infrastructure. SOE's fund-raising campaigns were instrumental in the SOI's decision.
SOI was also interested in SOE's rehabilitation of the intellectually disabled and whether families were being properly cared for. One more criterion was how much of the organisation is being subsidised. On this last point, SOE passed with flying colours.
SOE's world standing even before this latest honour has not gone unnoticed. An agreement with Germany's Special Olympics committee headed by Mr Peter Kapustin was signed last month, which included the Egyptian soccer team being invited to Germany's International Championship to take place from 2 to 9 September.
Egypt's ambassador to Germany Mahmoud Mubarak, the catalyst behind the accord, will accompany the team on its trip from Cairo to Berlin. An Egyptian businessman has pledged to pay all the team's expenses during its stay in Germany.
The Egyptian soccer team has been training regularly in the run-up to the tournament. Players are training twice a day in preparation for the Berlin event and the Arab Championship that starts on 10 October in Morocco.
"What is more important in the Special Olympics is participation, not the competition itself," team manager Sherif El-Foli said when asked to predict the winner in Berlin. Even if they do not win anything, El-Foli said it would not matter. "This is the difference between the Special Olympics and the Olympics."
A day after the team's arrival in Berlin, the players will be assessed and placed in the group whose players suffer from the same disability.
"With these players you exert a double effort," coach Mohamed El-Shafei said. "They must study a tactical plan and execute it several times. We also train them on how to depend on themselves and to be self-confident. This is the most important thing."
