28 March - 3 April 2002
Issue No.579
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 28 March - 3 April 2002 Issue No.579 |
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Sharm decision-makers
Arab sports ministers in Sharm El-Sheikh turned their ideas into substance. From the venue, Abeer Anwar reports on the finished product
Twenty-two countries wrapped up a meeting of Arab sports and youth ministers in Sharm El- Sheikh with a bevy of decisions and recommendations. Foremost on the list is an increase of annual financial support for the Palestinians from $1 million to $2 million.
The ministers also discussed celebrations marking the silver jubilee of the Arab Sports Ministers Council in January 2003; a proposal that 1 July be named Arab Youth Volunteer Work Day; fixing the participation fee for the 10th Arab Games, to take place in Algeria next September, at $50; including wheelchair basketball, bell ball for the blind and athletics as official sports in the Pan-Arab events for the physically disabled; training youth on volunteer work by holding a number of training sessions, and selecting Lebanon as the venue for the 13th Arab Schools Games in August.
Among the speakers at the 19 to 21 March gathering, Gamal Meihesen, Palestine's deputy sports minister, thanked Egypt and Saudi Arabia "for their continuous efforts to help the Palestinians sports teams," noting that Egypt hosted the Palestinian football national team to train for two weeks. Meihesen said 96 Palestinian athletes had been killed since the start of the Intifada almost 18 months ago and many more who were injured or taken hostage by Israeli forces.
Aliyiddin Hilal, Egypt's youth and sports minister, expressed his gratitude to all delegates who attended. "It is a great pleasure for Egypt to host such an event and the large number of participants reflect the strong will of the Arab world to work and improve their status to keep pace with the international sports movement," Hilal said.
Mustafa Afifi, the South Sinai governor, proposed constructing an Arab Olympic village in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Parallel to the meeting was a session of the 41st Arab Sports Ministers Executive Board. Hani Mustafa, head of the youth committee in the Arab League, said it was agreed to give Algeria $1 million in aid to allow it to host the 2003 Pan-Arab Games.
A bilateral cooperation agreement was signed between Hilal and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Sports Minister Prince Nawaf Bin Fahd. The accord stipulates that Egypt and Saudi Arabia work jointly in improving the status of their youth by holding training courses and championships. "Both should work on urging their youth to take part in international conferences, widening their perspective and initiating programmes," the pact said. "Youth hostels, youth centres, camps and science clubs should be established or enhanced in both countries. Cooperation will also extend to sports medicine," it added.
Ayman Abdel-Wahab, the managing director of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in Special Olympics International (SOI), discussed the MENA plan in Arab countries. Abdel-Wahab, a regular participant in such gatherings , urged all sports ministers to help separate SOI programmes a separate entity from the jurisdiction of their respective ministries of social affairs.
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