• Latest
  • Trending
Egypt invests to curb sports ‘game drain’ to other states

Egypt invests to curb sports ‘game drain’ to other states

March 1, 2018
English side Wolverhampton eye Ahly winger Sobhi

English side Wolverhampton eye Ahly winger Sobhi

February 20, 2019
Israel pharmaceutical firms test medicines on Palestinian prisoners

Israel pharmaceutical firms test medicines on Palestinian prisoners

February 20, 2019
How Russia’s domestic divisions could foil its Middle East plans

How Russia’s domestic divisions could foil its Middle East plans

February 20, 2019
Egypt army says 8 jihadists killed in Sinai

Egypt army says 8 jihadists killed in Sinai

February 20, 2019
2019 Africa Cup of Nations: Hosts Egypt choose six venues for finals

2019 Africa Cup of Nations: Hosts Egypt choose six venues for finals

February 20, 2019
All you need to know about tourism conferences in Aswan

All you need to know about tourism conferences in Aswan

February 18, 2019
Netanyahu secretly met Morocco’s foreign minister

Netanyahu secretly met Morocco’s foreign minister

February 18, 2019
Islamabad should formulate an action plan for Saudi Vision 2030

Islamabad should formulate an action plan for Saudi Vision 2030

February 18, 2019
Egypt implicitly recognizes Armenian Genocide

Egypt implicitly recognizes Armenian Genocide

February 18, 2019
India looks to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince for historic $1bn pledge

India looks to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince for historic $1bn pledge

February 18, 2019
Uber agrees to pay VAT in Egypt – tax chief

Uber agrees to pay VAT in Egypt – tax chief

February 18, 2019
Cairo ranks as world’s cheapest tourist city

Cairo ranks as world’s cheapest tourist city

February 13, 2019
Cairo Herald
No Result
View All Result
  • Egypt
    • Sinai
  • North Africa
    • Algeria
    • Libya
    • Morocco
    • Tunisia
  • World
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • China
      • North Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • Russian Federation
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • National Security
    • Cyber Security
    • Defense
    • Immigration
    • Military
    • Terrorism
      • Islamic State
    • Politics
      • Democracy
      • Free Speech
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Free Market
    • Science
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Education
    • Family
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • History
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Privacy
    • Religion
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Women & Children
  • Environment
    • Agriculture
    • Climate Change
    • Forests
    • Water & Oceans
    • Wildlife & Endangered Species
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • Olympics
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
-18 °c
Saturday, February 23, 2019
  • Egypt
    • Sinai
  • North Africa
    • Algeria
    • Libya
    • Morocco
    • Tunisia
  • World
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • China
      • North Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • Russian Federation
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • National Security
    • Cyber Security
    • Defense
    • Immigration
    • Military
    • Terrorism
      • Islamic State
    • Politics
      • Democracy
      • Free Speech
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Free Market
    • Science
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Education
    • Family
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • History
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Privacy
    • Religion
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Women & Children
  • Environment
    • Agriculture
    • Climate Change
    • Forests
    • Water & Oceans
    • Wildlife & Endangered Species
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • Olympics
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
No Result
View All Result
Cairo Herald
No Result
View All Result

Egypt invests to curb sports ‘game drain’ to other states

March 1, 2018
in Sports
0
Home Sports
Post Views: 229

 

Egypt is gearing up for a different kind of sports rivalry, one in which it will compete to keep its own athletes from “defecting” to other countries.

Under the auspices of the Egyptian government, Banque Misr launched Feb. 18 the Egyptian Sports Fund to support athletes in Egypt and help them reach the forefront of international competitions. The fund will help build modern facilities and finance sports workshops for 70 athletes in the first three years.

So far, the fund has 5 million Egyptian pounds ($283,350) in paid capital contributed by Banque Misr. In March, the fund will launch an initial public offering (IPO), hoping to raise 250 million pounds in the first half of 2018 and 1 billion pounds within the next 18 months.

The fund was announced a few days after parliament’s legislative session, in which the Youth and Sports Committee as well as the Foreign Relations Committee participated. During that Feb. 12 session, parliament called for action to retain Egyptian athletes, who are being recruited to become naturalized citizens and play for other countries, mainly Qatar.

Banque Misr Chairman Mohamed el-Etreby said during a Feb. 18 press conference that the IPO’s success will depend mainly on Egyptian and foreign banks and institutions, as well as investors. The IPO funds will help Egypt support and train athletes to compete internationally and in the Olympic Games.

During the parliamentary session, Farag Amer, the chairman of the Youth and Sports Committee, warned against Qatar’s policy of naturalization to get Egyptian athletes to play on its national teams. Taking a jab at the United States and Qatar, he said naturalized athletes are usually the ones who win international competitions for their host countries.

Every now and then, the Egyptian media reports on Qatar naturalizing Egyptian players, which is seen as an extension of the ongoing political conflict between the countries.

Cairo and Doha have been embroiled in a diplomatic row since the time of late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Back then, Qatar boycotted the 1964 Arab Summit meeting in Cairo. The dispute dragged on until the era of late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, as Qatar officially rejected the Camp David Accord with Israel in 1978. Then under former President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian regime opposed Doha for supporting Hamas and for its rapprochement with the Iranian regime.

In June 2017, Cairo decided to sever diplomatic relations with Qatar as part of the Arab Quartet (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates) decision to boycott Qatar. Cairo accused Doha of antagonizing Egypt, supporting terrorist groups (namely the Muslim Brotherhood) and harboring Brotherhood leaders who allegedly carried out terrorist operations against Egypt.

Though Qatar isn’t the only country benefitting from the prowess of Egyptian athletes, many prominent athletes recruited from Egypt play on Qatari national teams, including the handball, basketball and soccer squads. Qatari hammer throw standout Ashraf Amgad Elseify, a gold medalist in the 2014 World Junior Championship, is of Egyptian origin. Discus thrower Muaz Mohamed, who represented Qatar at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, is also of Egyptian origin. This is in addition to Fares Hassouna, a naturalized weightlifter in Qatar, who won the silver medal for the 94 kilograms competition at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, California, in December.

Sharif al-Arian, the secretary-general of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, is entrusted with organizing sports in Egypt. He told Al-Monitor the committee does not have any concerns about the naturalization of Egyptian athletes.

“This phenomenon is part of the Egyptian ‘brain drain’ to countries abroad, [as athletes search] for better opportunities — which isn’t considered a political crisis in the eyes of the Olympic Committee,” Arian said.

“This is a matter of becoming an international athlete. It has nothing to do with Qatar in particular, as Egyptian athletes look for better opportunities around the world — not only in Qatar. It is true that Qatar has managed to attract several athletes from Egypt to represent it and play on its different national teams in international competitions. But the reason behind this is the lack of good sports opportunities that meet the athletes’ expectations in their homeland,” he added.

Sports critic Yasser Ayyoub told Al-Monitor, “During the Youth Olympic Games of 2014, the Qatari national handball team was mostly made up of Egyptians. When Qatar competed against Egypt, it was like a bad joke. Egyptians were playing against each other.”

He added, “What is worse is that Egyptian athletes now are somehow pressuring the heads of sports unions and clubs into accepting their many conditions, or they would accept Qatari offers. This is undoubtedly a good opportunity for Qatar to seize. But Qatar is not only fishing for good Egyptian athletes, but for other players of different nationalities.”

Ayyoub doesn’t expect the new government measures to stop Egyptian athletes from playing for other national teams. “Egypt cannot compete with Qatar’s lucrative offers to athletes,” he said.

Mohammed Shiha, an agent for several athletes in Egypt, told Al-Monitor, “This is not even remotely close to a political matter. Parliament is blowing things out of proportion. Qatar is not the only country to naturalize players, and it will not pay these huge amounts out of political spite. Qatar sees potential in these players and invests in them.”

Tariq Khouli, the secretary of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, has a different view.

“We are aware of Qatar’s attempts to snare Egyptians. The naturalization of a large number of Egyptian sports talents is part of a political plot,” Khouli told Al-Monitor.

As Egyptian players leave their national teams to join Qatari teams in search of better opportunities, Cairo is pinning its hopes on the newly established fund to retain its athletes.

Source :

al-monitor

Tags: curbEgyptgame drainGovernmentinvestsSports
ShareTweetShare
Next Post
‘Oldest tattoo’ found on 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies

'Oldest tattoo' found on 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

eight + 10 =

Translate

Popular Post

English side Wolverhampton eye Ahly winger Sobhi
Africa

English side Wolverhampton eye Ahly winger Sobhi

February 20, 2019
0

English club Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Ahly’s young winger Ramadan Sobhi, according to the English newspaper the Daily...

Read more
Since Trump’s Mideast visit, extrajudicial killings have spiked in Egypt

Since Trump’s Mideast visit, extrajudicial killings have spiked in Egypt

August 31, 2017
Univ. of Michigan frat controversy — Make ancient Egypt great again!

Univ. of Michigan frat controversy — Make ancient Egypt great again!

August 31, 2017
Egypt’s plan to borrow $4bn in 2018

Egypt’s plan to borrow $4bn in 2018

August 31, 2017
How Israeli citizens are becoming stateless

How Israeli citizens are becoming stateless

September 1, 2017
  • About Us
  • Creative Commons
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us

Topics

Follow Us

About Us

Cairo Herald is part of Cairo Herald Media Group LLC, which delivers daily news around the globe.

© 2011 Cairo Herald

No Result
View All Result
  • Egypt
    • Sinai
  • North Africa
    • Algeria
    • Libya
    • Morocco
    • Tunisia
  • World
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • China
      • North Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • Russian Federation
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • National Security
    • Cyber Security
    • Defense
    • Immigration
    • Military
    • Terrorism
      • Islamic State
    • Politics
      • Democracy
      • Free Speech
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Free Market
    • Science
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Education
    • Family
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • History
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Privacy
    • Religion
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Women & Children
  • Environment
    • Agriculture
    • Climate Change
    • Forests
    • Water & Oceans
    • Wildlife & Endangered Species
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • Olympics
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports

© 2011 Cairo Herald