Objavljeno: 05 Avg 2008 12:41 Naslov sporočila:
Going to Beijing
The Egyptian delegation to the Olympic Games is ready for the world's most prestigious sporting event.
Egypt will send a 177-member delegation participating in Beijing Olympics scheduled from 11 to 23 August.
This is the greatest Egyptian participation in the Olympic Games in terms of the number of participating athletes -- 99. The country's national Olympic committees are hopeful that Egypt can make an appearance in this year's medals table again.
Egypt will take part in swimming after the International Swimming Federation approved the records set by two swimmers at the pan-Arab Games in Egypt in November. The federation does not normally recognise records set at the pan-Arab games. Men's handball and field hockey, badminton, synchronised swimming, judo, taekwondu, athletics, equestrianship, fencing and modern pentathlon are the other sports Egypt has entered.
In the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, the Egyptians, against many odds, claimed five medals. Previously, the last Olympic medal for the Egyptians was in 1984 in Los Angeles, a silver in judo won by Mohamed Rashwan. You would have to go back to 1956 in London to find an Egyptian gold medal before Karam Gaber's Greco-Roman effort in Athens.
In Athens, Egypt claimed a gold, a silver and three bronze. Only two of these athletes have the chance of a repeat; Gaber in wrestling and Tamer Salah in taekwondo. The others are all boxers and have retired from the sport.
A very genuine chance for an Egyptian medal lies with Aya Madani, the world modern pentathlon champion. It is hoped she does not fizzle as did former world weightlifting champion Nahla Ramadan who got nothing in Athens.
For the final preparations, Shahine, head of the Egyptian delegation in the Olympic Games, flew to Beijing on Tuesday in order to be there to receive the delegation. "I will be checking the accommodation, completing the registration of players and officials, and checking the technical equipment.
"The Egyptian delegation will arrive in Beijing by turn, each according to their competition schedule. Some athletes who are training abroad will travel directly from where they are to Beijing," Shahine said.
Judo, modern pentathlon and taekwondo players are training in Korea, wrestling in Japan, athletics in Sweden and riding in Holland.
"For the past several weeks we faced a problem in riding but we solved it. Karim El-Zoghbi's horse is of dual nationality, originally from Holland, and the international federation refused to let El-Zoghbi compete (the horse must be of the same nationality as the rider). But we proved that we bought it and gave the horse Egyptian nationality last July. After submitting all the documents, we received the approval of the horse's participation," Shahine added.
source Al Ahram Weekly