Officials, public figures support Special Olympics athletes for IX MENA Games

CAIRO – 13 March 2018: Youth and Sports Minister Khaled Abdel Aziz attended on Tuesday Special Olympics Egypt press conference, held in support of the Egyptian delegation headed to Abu Dhabi to participate in the 9th Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa regional games.

The conference started with the words of athlete Mariam Naim, a 19 year-old student at Helwan University and SO swimming and equestrian champion. “I wish all the luck to all of my friends and colleagues, and Long Live Egypt,” Naim shouted enthusiastically as she concluded her speech.



“First of all, I welcome you in the Ministry of Youth and Sports; we are proud of Special Olympics and of the team participating in the regional games,” Abdel Aziz said in his speech. “We are very keen and sure that the Egyptian delegation will achieve a large number of medals,” he added.

“I wish that Egyptian media would cover this event the way it deserves … those athletes are Egypt’s soft power,” Abdel Aziz stressed, announcing that he will be present in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to support the teams, along with Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Waly and famous Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy.


Youth and Sports Minister Khaled Abdel Aziz - Egypt Today/ Yasmine Hassan

On behalf of the Cairo governor, head of the Directorate of Youth and Sports in Cairo Mohamed Swelam also expressed his support for the athletes and wished them luck in the upcoming games.

A total of 115 athletes will be representing Egypt at the 9th Special Olympics MENA Games 2018, set to take place in Abu Dhabi between March 14 and 22. Naim will also be representing the Egyptian delegation in the regional youth summit to be held in Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the regional games.

“Egypt has not missed even one game in the regional Special Olympics. This is the biggest delegation we participate with and we have been preparing for it for almost a year,” Hani Mahmoud, chairman of Special Olympics Egypt and former minister of communications, told Egypt Today.

The Egyptian athletes have just completed a one-week camp in preparation for the regional games, which was “very important for the homogeneity of the teams, as they come from different governorates,” Mahmoud said. The camp was held in a facility of the armed forces, “which has been fully supportive of the delegation,” he added.


Hani Mahmoud, chairman of Special Olympics Egypt and former minister of communication

“For us in Special Olympics, participation is more important than the medals; the happiness of the athletes and their parents, and their inclusion in society after they had been living in a closed room their whole lives … But of course we also want to celebrate their return with medals,” Mahmoud said.

Renowned football player Tamer Bagato also attended the conference, sending his support and best wishes to the athletes. “We, as football players, are very neglectful of our brothers and the champions who might have achieved even more than we did,” Bagato said. “On behalf of all football players, I send you my appreciation and support.”

SO MENA Regional President & Managing Director Ayman Abdel Wahab arrived to Abu Dhabi Tuesday to finalise all arrangements and preparations for the games and "ensure a wonderful and unforgettable experience for everyone; and he invites people to come and watch the games and be amazed and inspired by the competitive spirit of the special Olympics athletes," according to Special Olympics MENA.


Left to Right - Youth and Sports Minister Khaled Abdel Aziz, Hani Mahmoud, chairman of Special Olympics Egypt, Naglaa Nosir CSR& PR General Manager at Telecom Egypt, football player Tamer Bagato and Head of the Directorate of Youth and Sports in Cairo Mohamed Swelam - Egypt Today/Yasmine Hassan

In honor of late SO athlete Mazen el Samahi, who passed away early March after a long battle with illness, the press conference started with a minute of silence to remember the champion.

“Mazen is one of the most important athletes who participated in Special Olympics games; he had a big role in several games on the local, regional and the international level. He was a great knight,” Mahmoud said. “During the 6th regional games in Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashed helped Mazen ride the horse himself, and when he came back, he [Sheikh Mohamed] tried to help him come down, but Mazen refused and told him ‘I can come down myself’,” Mahmoud added, recalling one of many memories of the great athlete.




For more information about Special Olympics Egypt, read our full feature about SOE

here

.