Report by: AlZahraa Rashad

EMCCU Today website is keen on shedding light on Egypt`s sports champions in various disciplines. Today`s champion is a graduate of Mass Communication – Cairo University Class of 2017, with a list of achievements and titles in national, African, and Arab championships. Alongside her current role as a sports referee, we will delve into her journey and sporting career in the following lines.

Siham Saad Mustafa, a 28-year-old saber fencing champion, currently works as a project manager in an advertising services company while pursuing her career as a fencing referee since 2017. She began her sports journey at the age of 11, initially practicing karate for four years before transitioning to fencing due to the skills she acquired through karate.

Siham has achieved numerous victories at local, Arab, and international levels. She was the first junior champion in Egypt under 17 years old and held first place for two years in the 20-year-old category. She also secured third place in the African Championship for individual fencing and second place in the team category. Additionally, she won the Arab University Championship representing Cairo University and achieved several titles in Egyptian university championships.

In her experience in refereeing, she says, "I have officiated in national championships and the Egyptian Cup, and I have received refereeing training from the Egyptian Fencing Federation. My aspiration is to become an international referee in the near future, God willing."

Siham pursued a degree in Radio and Television at Mass Communication-Cairo University, intending to work in the field of sports journalism, particularly in supporting individual sports. She noticed a lack of media coverage for individual sports, which motivated her to specialize in covering and providing media content about these sports. However, she initially worked in entertainment programs and later shifted to marketing alongside her sports refereeing career.

According to Siham, specialized media coverage for individual sports has significantly improved with the support of sponsor companies for various sports. Prominent athletes who were previously known only within their sports circles are now seen in advertising campaigns for major companies. She mentions examples such as Ferial Ashraf, the gold medalist in karate at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and other athletes from table tennis, like Hana Gouda, and athletics, like Basant Hamida.

Regarding her opinion on the current level of fencing in Egypt, she says, "Sports in Egypt have developed significantly, and we now see world-class champions in various sports. In fencing specifically, we have champions ranked among the top five in the world, such as Ziad El-Sisi, who has succeeded in developing his abilities to secure his place among the elite. There are also Mohamed Maher Hamza, and Mohamed Yassin, who have achieved great accomplishments, along with Mohamed El-Sayed Samy and Ahmed El-Sayed Samy, among others. We are indeed on the right path."