Egyptian Participation in the Beijing Olympics Proves an Ultimate Failure
By Alaa El Damaty
Many people have questioned Egypt’s performance in the Olympics this year. Egypt has only achieved one bronze medal in Judo below 90 kilograms by Hesham Mesbah. When compared to Egypt’s performance in Athens, it is clear that its performance is on the decline. In Athens, Egypt achieved a gold medal, a silver medal, and three bronze medals.
One explanation of this decline is the economic instability in Egypt. Prices are on the rise, and people cannot find money to pay for their basic needs. How will families find money to sponsor their children’s sports activities when they cannot afford to pay for a loaf of bread?
Another reason for this decline would be Egypt's ability to nurture its athletes. Karam Gaber, winner of the gold medal in Roman wrestling in Athens, is a perfect example. He is 29, and if circumstances were right, Karam Gaber would have been expected to achieve a gold medal in Beijing, where he lost during the first round.
One explanation is that Egypt did not sponsor the player during the four year period he spent after Athens. Karam Gaber had the freedom to make his own choices about which tournaments to enter. He even chose how to practice. All of this led to his poor performance this year in Beijing. In some essential tournaments, Gaber chose not to enter, which decreased his rankings. He was only qualified to the Olympics in the last tournament he entered. He even skipped practices that he had and refused to go to the camps set for him. Clearly, he did not get enough training.
Another example is Aya Medani, who played modern pentathlon. She was expected to achieve a gold medal. She is the world’s top ranked player in the sport. What happened? In an interview with her, she claimed that circumstances in Egypt did not help her but degraded her performance, which led to her achieving rank eight.
Another reason would be incentive. None of those players have an incentive to play. They are not promised any rewards for their wins, except some fame after they come back. In countries like the United States, great athletes are rewarded millions for their achievements. Mohamed Rashwan, a well known Judo player who won many medals for Egypt, is not recognizable to anyone. Endorsements, money, gifts, recognition, or respect should be given to the athletes. Others argue that the reason for this decline is a lack of facilities.
The best explanation for this bad performance is a combination of the above stated reasons. One hopes that these circumstances improve, so that Egypt can have an honorable ranking in the 2012 London Olympics.
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