10 - 16 May 2001
Issue No.533
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 10 - 16 May 2001 Issue No.533 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Risky, but it's worth it
The decision to send a hapless women's team -- which had not the slightest chance of winning any medal -- to the recent African handball championship was risky but certainly brave. Risky because the people who rule over handball in Egypt knew beforehand the club would be hopelessly inept -- which it was -- but brave for exactly the same reason. The only way this club, and all other teams in Egypt, will ever improve is to play, play and play some more against squads better than themselves.
Truth be told, Ahli's results -- two wins and three losses and a combined average of 111 goals scored and 113 goals scored against -- were not all that bad considering the absence of almost any kind of meaningful training leading up to the championship. The real problem is that the club should not be expected to perform any better in any future championship if it does not participate more often in such tournaments. And that is a strong possibility.
A vicious circle is what this is all about. Clubs like Ahli need to play against the best on a consistent basis in order to improve but they cannot play against world class teams unless they hold out the promise of returning home with results. But given the circumstances, results will be hard to come by. The Ahli squad was put together just one week before the African competition began, hardly conducive for a run at a championship.
On the other side of the sexes, Egypt has the world's fourth best men's handball team -- and one that gets loads of attention and care. Almost 80 per cent of the handball federation's budget goes to men's teams of all ages. The lion's share is directed to the national men's team which trains regularly and participates in at least six international events a year. So often does it travel, it has been dubbed by the media "the flying team."
It took decades before the men reached such an exalted position. But the money and attention paid off. The same dividends could be accrued by the women.
But we insert a word of caution to Egyptian spectators: be prepared to be embarrassed. Championship teams do not spring up magically overnight. Time -- anywhere from several months to many years -- is needed to gel, to bring up physical fitness, to instill a winning attitude and to hone skills, not to mention scouting for players who possess skills in the first place. Be ready, fans, to spend many a day ruing over all sorts of matches -- those that should have been won but weren't, and the blow-out kinds in which the team never had a chance from the opening whistle. Because it can take so long to create a team with a winning formula, the situation will get worse before it gets better. Disappointments will abound and heartaches and headaches will be plenty.
But the long-run effort could prove to be a bonanza. It's worth the risk.
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