Written by: AlZahraa Ahmed Rashad

On March 9th, the American University in Cairo hosted the sessions of the Second Forum for Egyptian Athletes, in the presence of a group of prominent sports figures at the local and international levels, headed by Prof. Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports, Claros Schurmann, President of the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon, Prof. Dr. Tarek Rahmy, Governor of Gharbia, and Engineer Sherif. Al-Erian, President of the Egyptian Federation of Modern Pentathlon, Dr. Ihab Abdel Rahman, President of the American University, replacing Dr. Ahmed Dalal, President of the University, and Professor Dr. Mahmoud Zaki, President of Tanta University.
 

Dr. Ashraf Sobhi emphasized the importance of the role played by sports in Egypt, stressing the state’s support for all players in various sports in order to raise Egypt’s name in international sports forums, and their success in their goals in the 2024 Paris Olympics, pointing to the role of this important sports forum in order to convey the voice of athletes to the exit. With recommendations that benefit the Egyptian Sports Authority.

The first session of the forum, titled "Paralympic and Special Olympics Athletes," brought together a distinguished group of Egyptian champions in this important field of sports. Participants included Malak Abdel Shafy the Paralympic swimming champion, Abdel Rahman Atif the Paralympic athletics champion, Yasmine Hassan, the Egyptian swimming champion for athletes with intellectual disabilities, Mostafa Galal, the International swimming champion & Shahd Atif, the Sister of champion Abdel Rahman Atif

The session included an introduction to the athletes, their achievements, and the people who have supported them the most, including their families, friends, the Egyptian Paralympic Committee, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The athletes also highlighted the need to expand the scope of training centers available to them to produce more Paralympic champions who can raise Egypt`s flag in international sporting events.

The second session of the forum, featured a discussion with a group of prominent Egyptian athletes in this important area of sports. Participants included: Ahmed Adly, the World Youth Chess Champion, Omar El Borlosy, the Egyptian squash player and coach to numerous world champions, Omar Sharif the Speedball champion & Youssef Mohsen, the Founder of the Egyptian Electronic Sports Federation.
 
The speakers in this session discussed the role of private academies in the spread of non-Olympic sports, in addition to the increased media interest in following this type of games. Omar El-Burulusi said that" the achievements of Egyptian squash at the international level in 1994 and for adults in 1999, after which we succeeded in breaking records in this sport and became the top teams in the world at the men’s and women’s levels, and we also had the opportunity to represent Egypt and achieve Olympic achievements.
 

Regarding the sport of chess, Ahmed Adly confirmed that the largest media supporter of individual games was previously the late great journalist, Mr. Ibrahim Hegazy, in his famous article “Out of the Spotlight” in Al-Ahram newspaper, but now we have many channels to follow and support individual games in the media.
 

Omar Sharif also praised the wide spread achieved by the sport of speedball compared to before, as there became several types of this sport, singles and doubles, and there became sponsors for individual games, and he praised the great role of Dr. Hussein Lotfy, the inventor of this Egyptian sport and spreading it internationally.
 

In a different and new field of sports, the experience of player Youssef Mohsen was in electronic games, which he considered an industry that conquered the whole world and whose revenues reached millions. He considered his founding of the Egyptian Federation for Electronic Games a major achievement through which he succeeded with the Egyptian national team in achieving the World Championship, an achievement supported by the state, so he was waiting for the Egyptian national team. After achieving the championship, Professor Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports.

Regarding the role of sports in forming an integrated personality, the third session of the Sports Forum was held in the presence of Ahmed Yaqout, marketing director at one of the companies and a former basketball player, Dina Shaaban, a fashion designer who specializes in health and training athletes in various parts of the world, and Mai Ramy, director of the counseling program at the American University in Cairo and a consultant in the science of happiness. Sherif Al-Sanadily, a professional in information technology and a former professional basketball player. The session was moderated by Professor Dr. Mervat Abu Auf, Professor of Journalism at the American University in Cairo. The speakers in this session praised the positive role of sport in supporting positive thinking, a balanced personality, reaching a state through which correct decisions can be made, and providing the opportunity to enter important fields through the fact that sport is a curriculum and a way of life.
 

And in the lights of the sessions, a number of athletes discussed how sport affects their lives by creating the ability to challenge, compete, and think soundly, which is created by developing all aspects of the personality. In a sport such as rugby, you find a player born in 1990 playing the game on the same team with a player born in 2006, and this creates challenge and the desire for continuity and preservation. On physical and mental compatibility.
 
The next session of this forum was held with the participation of Ayman Haqqi, a former member of the Board of Directors of Al-Jazira Sports Club, and the businessman and founder of a company specializing in the field of sports, and Blanca and Mohamed Al-Madani, a member of the Board of Directors of the Modern Pentathlon Federation in Egypt, and Hussein Khalifa, a member of the Board of Directors of Heliopolis Sports Club. The speakers stressed the importance of marketing sports, attracting people to play individual games, and organizing more sporting events in order to support Egypt’s future in the Olympic Games.
 
Regarding the importance of the brand to support sports marketing, Dr. Zuhair Ammar, the Executive Director, who has extensive experience in the field of sports management and marketing, participated. Dr. Saad Shalaby, who holds a doctorate in sports marketing from the University of Göttingen, Germany, and a professor at Mansoura University, and Basil El-Erian, who holds a bachelor’s degree in sports sciences from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, in the dialogue session, emphasizing the importance of sports as a marketing element, and the role of sports tourism in this field, as well as the role of branding. Sports play a major role in increasing the negotiating power and rights of various institutions.

Regarding the role of sports clubs in supporting investment and marketing of champions, a group of experts and specialists spoke in this panel discussion, emphasizing the role of clubs in building the player’s personality by providing stadiums and sports equipment in addition to supporting players morally. The session was attended by Mohamed Siraj, a member of the Board of Directors of Al-Ahly Club, Omar Yahya, a member of the Board of Directors of Heliopolis Sports Club, Rami Al-Erian, former sports director of acompany specialized in housing development, and Lina Maged Fouad, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alexandria Sports Club and international referee in the sport of rhythmic gymnastics. The session was moderated by Nada Megahed, sports editor. On the Youm7 website.

And coming to the  last session, which was held under the title “Sports Diplomacy,” where the speakers emphasized that sports are a global language, and the role of sports in marketing to countries. The model of our international player, “Mohamed Salah,” succeeded in positive propaganda for his country, and the whole world began to talk about Egypt, which gave birth to this distinguished player. Athletes are the best ambassadors for their country.