'We won'
Despite Nigeria claiming first prize, the National Olympic Committee says Egypt took top honours at the All-Africa Games. Inas Mazhar weighs the arguments
The fallout from the confusion as to who won the All-Africa Games continued this week. Egypt was adamant that it should wear the crown.
"Tampering with the final results after the conclusion of the event and announcing Nigeria as the winner and Egypt as runners-up is unethical and unacceptable," Mounir Thabet, president of Egypt's National Olympic Committee (NOC) said.
Host Nigeria was declared the winner, or at least declared itself the winner, of the Games, topping the medals table with 85 gold, 90 silver and 56 bronze for 231 medals overall. Egypt finished runners-up with 218 medals: 81 gold, 66 silver and 71 bronze while South Africa, winners of the previous two editions, dropped to third with 63 gold, 59 silver and 52 bronze for 174 medals.
But at a press conference at the headquarters of the NOC, Thabet was not at all persuaded that Nigeria had indeed won. "Though we said before the Games began that Egypt would finish third, our champions amazed us with their will and determination to lead their nation to the top spot. That was a great achievement. But we never expected the organisers to declare their country winner of the Games by deception."
Thabet said that from the beginning of the Games, the organisers had committed several mistakes and had broken the rules and regulations stipulated by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa.
"The Games weren't organised," Thabet asserted. "Chaos was everywhere. Medal distribution was a mess as sometimes the winners of gold medals did not receive their medals and the national anthems of their nations was not played."
"It was very strange," said Haroun Touny, head of the Egyptian delegation in Nigeria. "We and some other countries, especially the top nations South Africa, Algeria and Morocco, realised from the beginning that the Nigerians liked nothing more than to win the Games. But what we never expected was their breaking the rules."
Touny alleged that Nigeria in some cases held events like chess, cycling and weightlifting with only two participants.
And after combining three or four disciplines into one event in which only one gold medal was initially given, the hosts collected a significant number of gold, claiming seven such medals on the final day to Egypt's one.
Another clear violation, Touny said, was Nigeria putting in able- bodied athletes in events for the handicapped in some disciplines so that the minimum number of participants was attained.
Touny, together with head of the delegation of South Africa, invited the local and international press to a joint press conference. "We wanted to explain everything and make everything clear to the press and the public, whether in our countries or abroad. If we hadn't protested publicly, that would have meant that we agree to breaking the rules of the Supreme Council and that we are part of the conspiracy," Touny added.
Thabet said Egypt had sent protest letters to the International Olympic Committee and the International Sports Court. "We also sent copies to the Nigerian organisers and officials of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa."
He said the NOC considered itself the real winner of the Games and would soon reward all the medal winners in appreciation for their efforts. But he warned: "Those who let us down, like the football team, will be penalised."
After the Olympic football team finished dead last in Abuja, the NOC asked the Egyptian Football Association to return LE1.8 million that had been spent on the team to prepare for the Games.
Egypt took part in the Games in 18 sports. The weightlifters won the most medals for Egypt -- 18 gold medals, 10 silver and seven bronze. Handicapped weightlifters added six gold, a silver and a bronze. When both sports are combined, Egyptian weightlifting brought in more medals than any other athlete in any country.
Surprisingly, the Egyptians collected eight gold medals, five silver and eight bronze in track and field, the country's Achilles heel. It placed third behind Nigeria and South Africa.
In swimming , Egypt dominated the pool, coming first in the men's events and second in the women's with six gold medals, 12 silver and 18 bronze.
For the first time, Egyptian women participated in wrestling, getting second place behind Nigeria with six gold, four silver and six bronze medals.
Egypt was also first in karate with six gold, two silver and five bronze and so did tae kown do with six gold, two silvers and bronzes.
Gymnasts produced brilliant performances and new talents like Norhan Said. The 12-year-old claimed five medals alone. South Africa, though, finished first with an overall 13 medals; six gold, three silver and four bronze.
Judo also came in second place behind Algeria with four gold and four silvers. The squash players swept four gold, two silver and two bronze to squash the continent.
