By: Toqua Ehab, Kenzy Wael, Farida Muwaffaq

The Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University hosted the “Sports Fanaticism and The Role of Media in Combating Intolerance” event on Sunday. The seminar was held under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Hanan Gunied, dean of the faculty, Prof. Dr. Dalia, head of the public relations and advertising department, Prof. Dr. Nermeen Al-Azrak, head of the English section, and Prof. Dr. Samah Al-Mohamady, vice head of the English section. The seminar featured a number of guest speakers, including Islam Al-Tahawy, Mohamed Al-Qausi, Ahmed Al-Khodari, and Ahmed Abdel-Baset.
The discussions of the event were focused on “Rayah wa Sakinah", a project created by fourth-year public relations and marketing students, and is considered one of the very first anti-sports fanaticism awareness campaigns in Egypt. The main objectives of the campaign were to raise awareness among sports audiences of various ages, genders, and interests, as well as to encourage peaceful engagements and participation in sports.
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During her speech, Dr. Nermeen Al-Azrak suggested solutions to the problem, and emphasized on the importance of "establishing assertive codes of conduct and broadcasting them constantly on sports news channels and publishing them on sports blogs. In order to ensure the following of ethical rules among sports fans and viewers".
Furthermore, Dr. Al-Azrak expressed her belief that sports fanaticism causes psychological and sociological problems for individuals on multiple levels including a strain on their friendships and relations with the people who do not have the same opinions as theirs.
She mentioned how she is not in favor of using sarcastic comments or making fun of opponent teams, as well as how she sees sports as an activity that should only be filled with emotions such as joy, happiness, and belonging.

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