Under the Slogan "One Flame, One Continent"... On the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the African University Sports Federation

Conclusion of the Events of the African University Games with the Participation of 81 Universities

Egypt Tops the Championship Standings... and "Cairo" Achieves 57 Medals

Written by: Al-Zahraa Rashad

Egypt hosted the 19th African University Games on its land from September 8 to 16 under the slogan "One Flame, One Continent," with the participation of 2,078 male and female athletes from 17 African countries, representing 81 universities, amidst wide female participation in various sports and Paralympic competitions. The tournament`s competitions were held at the sports grounds of Ain Shams University, Capital University, the American University in Cairo, the Olympic Center in Maadi, and the grounds of The Club in the New Administrative Capital.

Cairo University received the flame of the 12th African University Games. The flame was received by Prof. Dr. Mohamed Sami Abdel Sadek, President of Cairo University; Prof. Dr. Ahmed Kamel, Secretary-General of the Egyptian University Sports Federation; Prof. Dr. Ahmed Ragab, Vice President of the University for Education and Student Affairs; Prof. Dr. Mohamed Rifaat, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development; Dr. Abdel Hady Al-Awady, Advisor to the University President for University Cities and Student Activities; and Mr. Samaha Bandari, Director-General of the General Administration for Youth Welfare; along with a number of university leaders, faculty members, university sports federation officials, and a large crowd of students. The university witnessed the events of receiving the flame as part of its tour, coinciding with preparations for the launch of the major African sports event.

In statements on the official website of Cairo University, Dr. Mohamed Sami Abdel Sadek emphasized that Cairo University`s reception of the flame holds a special significance in light of the university`s history, its African extension, and its position as one of the leading universities on the continent, noting that the flame does not only symbolize the launch of sports competitions, but also carries a message uniting African university youth around the values of friendship, peace, cooperation, and honorable competition.

The tournament was organized in cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research headed by Prof. Dr. Abdel Aziz Qonsowa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Acting Minister of Culture; the Ministry of Youth and Sports headed by Minister Gohar Nabil; the African University Sports Federation headed by Prof. Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Vice-Chairman of the Supreme Committee of the 12th African University Games; and the Egyptian University Sports Federation under the supervision of Dr. Ahmed Kamel Mahdy, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the tournament, alongside various committees and entities concerned with the organization.

The sports in which participants competed during this session included 22 sports, namely: squash, swimming, badminton, football, volleyball, basketball, fencing, taekwondo, lawn tennis, wrestling, athletics, judo, table tennis, karate, and futsal, as these sports include 18 main sports and 4 Paralympic categories, in addition to 3 recreational games.

Egypt topped the general standings of the participating countries, achieving 93 gold medals, 101 silver medals, and 116 bronze medals, for a total of 310 medals. It was followed by Algeria in second place with a total of 111 medals, including 36 gold, 35 silver, and 40 bronze, while South Africa came with a total of 24 medals, then Ghana with a total of 22 medals, while the rest of the medals were distributed among a number of participating African countries, confirming the expanding circle of participation among the countries of the African continent.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research stated on its official page that the player Kamal Amr, a second-year student at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels at Suez Canal University, won the gold medal in wrestling in the 74 kg weight category. Also, the player Aya Eid Jumaa Suleiman, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Commerce at Suez Canal University, won first place and the gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the 57 kg weight category.

Student Janna Mohamed Ahmed Zaghloul, a student at the Faculty of Sports Sciences at Suez University, managed to win the gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the 62 kg weight category, and Ismail Hamed, a student at the Faculty of Arts at Suez University, won the silver medal in wrestling in the 74 kg weight category. In taekwondo, Alexandria University achieved 10 medals, broken down into 7 gold, 2 silver, and one bronze.

Student Shahd Ahmed Abdel Fattah, at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, won two gold medals and a silver, while Salma Islam Mohamed, at the Faculty of Education, Habiba Mustafa Abdullah and Seif El-Din Islam Mohamed, at the Faculty of Engineering, and Abdullah Mohamed Hassan and Abdullah Adel Hassan, at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, each won several medals in individual, team, and mixed competitions in taekwondo.

At the university level, Ain Shams University was able to win 14 diverse medals in swimming competitions, broken down into 8 gold, 4 silver, and two bronze.

Alexandria University achieved 7 medals in swimming, broken down into two gold and 5 silver, in its first participation in the African Championship, as Youssef Ahmed Shawky achieved first place and the gold medal in foil fencing competitions, Jana Khaled Abu Ghneim won second place and the silver medal in epee fencing competitions, and Mahmoud Ayman achieved third place and the bronze medal in epee fencing competitions.

Capital University won 7 medals, including 5 medals for Paralympic athletes, in fencing and para-badminton competitions.