18 - 24 April 2002
Issue No.582
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 18 - 24 April 2002 Issue No.582 |
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All are winners
There were no losers in a five-a-side football tournament for the mentally disabled, reports Abeer Anwar
Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan qualified in five-a-side football for the 2003 World Games for the mentally disabled in Ireland in July.
Though only two countries were to have qualified after the Special Olympics Egypt (SOE) team beat Lebanon and Jordan 5-1 and 6-2 respectively, it was later decided that all three countries would go to Ireland "due to their high technical level," said the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) sports director Mohamed Nasser.
The tournament, held at Gezira Club, was to have been played in all three countries but was played only in Egypt in view of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. "I was very pleased with the idea of accommodating all of our mentally disabled athletes in Egypt. It's like a solidarity event, but a sports one this time," SOE Chairman Ismail Osman said.
One of the highlights of the tournament was an exhibition match which included Egypt's past and present football stars, including former goal keeping great Ahmed Shubeir. "It's an honour for us to join such events," Shubeir said. "We enjoy it and there are really talented players out there. We always welcome the idea of taking part in these events to help the players become valuable members of their societies."
SOE national director Mohamed El-Alfi was all praise for Gezira, praising the club president, Ramzi Rushdi, for providing all court facilities for free.
"The event was a good opportunity for the Egyptians to get in contact with other contenders," El-Alfi said, alluding to the Greek International Games starting on 22 April in Greece.
"I am looking forward to holding other friendly tournaments all over the region all year round but especially football since it is one of the region's most popular sports," Ayman Abdel-Wahab, MENA's managing director, said. "We can also hold training courses alongside the tournaments for administrators and coaches. This will help us attain our goal of increasing the number of athletes to 110 by the year 2005."
Abdel-Wahab added, "The football tournament is an opportunity for everyone who is involved in football to reach out to individuals with mental handicaps and give them the opportunity to demonstrate their passion for football, one that is shared by millions of people."
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