Egyptian celebrities support Gouna International Squash Open

CAIRO – 23 March 2017: A large number of Egyptian celebrities joined the campaign launched by Amr Mansi, director of the Gouna Squash Championship, in support of the international tournament which will be held April 5-14 under the auspices of both the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Egyptian Tourism Authority, Youm7 reported Thursday.

Some of the celebrities posted videos on social media in which they expressed their support for the tournament and nominated other celebrities to do the same.

One former football player, Hazem Emam, posted a video on his official Instagram account expressing his support for the tournament and the Egyptian players and nominated footballer Mohamed Salah to join the campaign.

Other celebrities who voiced their support for the campaign included the world’s top squash player, Mohamed El Shorbagy, Egyptian actress Bushra and radio announcer Hend Reda.

The tournament has earned a lot of attention and garnered significant support from the Egyptian government, because Egypt does not often have the opportunity to host top international sporting competitions.

The tournament is expected to garner significant international attention and help in promoting Egyptian tourism, especially as 56 leading squash players from 20 countries will participate in the event. Competitors will come from the U.K., France, the Netherlands, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, New Zealand, Kuwait, Malta, Italy and Spain.

Gouna will also host another international sporting event this year, the Orascom Development PSA Women's World Championship, which offers $165,000 in prize money. 2017 will be the first time Gouna has hosted the championship, although it has been held elsewhere in Egypt.

The head of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, Hisham El-Demery, confirmed the importance of both tournaments for the tourism sector,saying in a press conference, "Our support for both championships comes from our strong belief in their ability to aid in the development of tourism."

”Every event related to Gouna's name positively affects tourism,” he added.