14 - 20 March 2002
Issue No.577
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 March 2002 Issue No.577 |
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Half-time
Forced swan songs
Any Egyptian handball player aged 32 years or more should now retire. If he does not, he might be forced to.
That was the recommendation made recently by the Egyptian federation: all players born in 1970 or earlier might have to call it a day. Retirement in this sport could thus become mandatory.
As far as we know, there is no hard and fast rule as to when one hangs up his racket, gloves or cleats. An athlete usually knows when the time has come to call it quits. The legs go first; they become rubbery and can feel like a ton. An injury takes a longer time to heal. Also, the body begins not to respond quickly enough to what the mind wants it to.
Emotionally, an athlete no longer in his prime slowly discovers that there is more to life outside of sport, especially when a newborn comes into his or her life. Tennis great John McEnroe was never able to return to No 1 in the world after he became a father.
At times, an athlete over the hill must be told in bold letters that he is no longer the player he used to be. A coach, sports critics and fans usually let him know loud and clear when enough is enough.
But some players seem able to go on and on. The most telling example these days is basketball legend Michael Jordan who came out of retirement this season to play at 38. He is not the Jordan of old but he has helped guide his once hopeless Washington Wizards out of basketball wilderness.
Other cases: Peter Shilton and Dino Zoff were 40-year-old goalkeepers when they played in the World Cup. Hossam Hassan, at 36, is so far the top goal poacher in this season's Egyptian soccer league.
What veterans make up for in slower reflexes is court or field savvy and guile. They bring invaluable experience that players of a lesser age simply have not yet accrued. They guide, are an inspiration and keep cool heads when a game is on the line.
Is a 32-year-old player too long in the tooth? Sweden was runner-up in the 1997 handball world championship and champions in 1999. Both times, 80 per cent of its players were above 32. With a smart combination of experience and youth, it has remained in the top four teams for decades.
Most of Egypt's handball players who would be affected by the federation's decisions are currently at their peak and helped the country reach fourth place in the world, an unprecedented achievement.
Why, one might ask, doesn't the federation continue to allow national team players to play at least for their clubs? Federation President Hassan Mustafa explains that the clubs feed the national team and, as such, their players must be of a younger generation.
Some of the players who might be forced into early retirement make a living off of handball. Mustafa says that jobs as coaches and referees await.
Mustafa seems to have all the answers but one question remains: When is too old too old? It is not necessarily at age 32.
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