21 - 27 December 2000
Issue No.513
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 21 - 27 December 2000 Issue No.513 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
A new address
By Abeer AnwarSpecial Olympics International (SOI) is coming to Egypt. A bureau representing the Middle East and North Africa will soon open in Cairo, to be headed by Ayman Abdel-Wahab, national director of Special Olympics Egypt (SOE). Abdel-Wahab, who has set up numerous training centres for handicapped athletes, could be named the bureau's general secretary following an SOI meeting last week in the US. More than 20 SOI members competed with Abdel-Wahab for the prestigious post.
Reports about the new office in Cairo capped a busy week of SOI events. The most eye-catching was that Magda Moussa, Middle East and North Africa relation leadership committee secretary-general, had dinner with US President Bill Clinton at the White House last week in honour of the SOE programme. The presidents of six global regions represented by SOI were at the gathering meant to recognise the White House's efforts in SOI and its activities worldwide.
In Edmonton, Canada, Egypt was one of 55 countries -- and the only Arab state -- attending an international conference for integrating disabled children in society. Abdel-Wahab and Mustafa Galal, an SOE player, were at the conference which praised Egypt's experience in the subject at hand.
The conference said mentally disabled athletes could play an active role in society and can share in its development and progress. It asked the public to change their view of the mentally disabled.
"Sports is a way of self-expression," Abdel-Wahab said. "Taking part in international and national sports events helps build self-confidence and changes attitudes of the people and world around them."
Abdel-Wahab urged that those disabled -- socially and physically -- be given comprehensive and methodical treatment and care.
Kini Mukan, deputy president of the United Nations Committee for Children's Rights, had high praise for how much Egypt has helped its disadvantaged athletes. Mukan was particularly impressed by a proposal submitted by Abdel-Wahab to count as accurately as possible how many mentally disabled athletes there are in the world, a mammoth task vital for statistical purposes.
There are currently 15,000 disabled athletes practising sports in Egypt. Many were looked at closely by a supervisory committee from the SOI which visited Egypt to monitor the country's sports activities. It apparently liked what it saw. It visited Cairo's Fardous Intellectual School, one of five schools built by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak. Members saw the Egyptian floor hockey team in action at Zamalek club as it prepares for the 2001 Winter Games.
A conference on the integration of the mentally disabled in society -- emphasising how the impaired can be spokesmen for their countries -- was held in Egypt for the first time three weeks ago. "It is a great honour for Egypt to host the first conference for training the mentally disabled to be spokesmen in international events," SOE President Osman said.
"These spokesmen have a very important role in society," said Dave Lenox, Athlete Leadership Programme director (ALP). "They will show they can deal with their society. They will share their experience as players in tournaments."
Egypt will participate in the 2001 Winter Games in Alaska. Twenty countries are entering the 4-11 March championship; Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan are the Arab countries involved. In the 1997 Winter Games in Toronto Egypt finished second.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
