Winning when there's war
By
Inas Mazhar
Most sports activities in Egypt have been suspended or cancelled outright because of the war. Little is being done except sporadic training in preparation for the green light to resume competition.
But if Egyptian sports is frozen, the international scene is not. The world's sporting calendar, with minor exceptions, has not been affected by the war. So Egyptian sportsmen, surely in no mood to play as Iraq burns, have nevertheless been forced to put their grief aside and compete.
Unexpectedly, in the middle of these trying times, an individual victory by an Egyptian of immense proportions was achieved. Gymnast Raouf Abdel-Karim won the gold medal at the Gymnastics World Cup held last month in Germany. The gold was the first in Egypt's gymnastic history. Abdel-Karim topped competitors from 44 countries to win the vault.
Abdel-Karim, 24, first came into prominence in 1997 when he bagged a vault gold medal at the Mediterranean Games, the first for Egypt in the discipline in the tournament's history.
The latest accomplishment of Abdel-Karim, who began his gymnastic career in 1983 and who in his spare time teaches his sport at the Faculty of Physical Education, is all the more remarkable considering the obstacles he must clear. Unlike football, the national craze, Abdel-Karim's sport does not allow him to become too popular. The lack of media exposure almost dooms him to never become a household name.
In addition, the lack of enough media attention naturally means an inadequate budget which Abdel-Karim and many other non-football athletes suffer from. He does not train abroad in any country which is renowned for gymnastics and does not participate in half as many tournaments as he would like. All this makes his achievements all the more improbable.
Nevertheless, an Olympic medal at the coming Olympic Games in Athens 2004 is Abdel-Karim's next target. Despite his achievements Abdel- Karim does not consider himself a star. He acknowledges he is not yet a headline maker, not even in his own country, but believes this could turn around should he win in Athens next year.
In these days of war, Abdel-Karim is a lone bright star -- though it is unfortunate he did so well at a time when few are paying attention to anything except the conflict. The Egyptian Gymnastics Federation is urged to keep this light shining bright. The media, too, should play their part in supporting this standout en route to the Olympic podium.
