Sports - The Year in Review

CAIRO – 26 December 2017: 2017 had so many more strong contenders on its long list of highlights; perhaps the most joyous one being Egypt finally getting into the World Cup, does the year need to get any bigger on the sports front? Big as it is, Egypt qualifying for the Russia World Cup 2018 for the first time in 27 years isn’t the only sports highlight of the year. Here are some of the main events in Egypt and all over the World in Sports:

JANUARY

- Cristiano Ronaldo wins the best player for the FIFA awards of 2016.

FEBRAURY

- Egypt is defeated 1-2 by Cameroon at the final match of the African Cup of Nations
- At a game held in Abu Dhabi, Zamalek Sporting Club beats Al-Ahly 3-1 at the final game’s penalty rounds, winning their third Egyptian Super Cup title.

MARCH

- Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou lost the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) elections for the position of CAF’s president to Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad, who secured 34 votes compared to Hayatou’s 20.

APRIL

- Nour El Sherbini, the youngest ever women’s squash world champion, successfully defends her title after winning the Women’s World Championship held in Gouna. El Sherbini had won the world champion title as a junior in 2009 and then again in 2016.

MAY

- Yasmin Hamdy wins the karate golden medal and Rawya Hassan the 75-kilogram weightlifting gold medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games held in Azerbaijan.

JUNE

- Mohamed Salah leaves AS Roma to join Liverpool FC.
- Real Madrid defeats Juventus 4-1 and retains the UEFA Champions League at the final game held in Cardiff.

JULY

- Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazy joins the English team West Bromwich Albion. Hegazy has played with local Ismaily and Ahly clubs as well as Fiorentina Club.
- Germany wins Confederations cup after defeating Chile.
- Farida Osman wins the bronze 50-meter medal at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Hungary.

AUGUST

- The Brazilian footballer Neymar JR is named the most marketable athlete in the world after transferring from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
- The Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt retires at the age of 30 after competing for the last time at the World Championship in London where he won the bronze medal in the 100-meter race. Bolt’s net worth is estimated at $100 million and was named world champion 19 times over the past 10 years.

SEPTEMBER

- Tennis champion Rafael Nadal wins US Open after defeating Kevin Anderson, marking the third US Open title and the 16th slam of his career.

OCTOBER

- Zamalek Sports Club wins African Handball Champions League, beating Tunisia 31-29.
- Egypt qualifies for the FIFA World Cup held in Russia next summer after failing to qualify for the past 27 years. Egypt beat Congo 2-1 at the game held at Borg Al Arab Stadium on Oct. 8 when Mohame Salah scored the second goal of the game in a penalty at the very last minutes of the game.
- Cristiano Ronaldo wins FIFA’s best player of 2017.

NOVEMBER

- Wydad Athletic Club defeats Al-Ahly at the CAF’s African Champions League.
- Al-Khatib's electoral list swept the Al-Ahly's elections that were held on Thursday; witnessing the highest voter turnout in the history of the club by 26.66 percent.
- Mortada Mansour re-elected president of Zamalek or another four years after receiving the majority of votes in the club’s board of directors’ election.

DECEMBER

- Egyptian squash player Mohamed el-Shorbagy won the AJ Bell title at the final of the PSA Squash World Championships.
- The Egyptian weight lifter Mohamed Ihab, the national team player, won three gold medals Saturday in the 77-kilogram bodyweight category at the Weight Lifting World Championship held in the United States.
- The Egyptian squash team won the World Squash Championship title after defeating their English counterpart 2-0 in the final round of the tournament in Marseille, France.
- Raneem el-Welily crowned the title after she beat Nour el-Sherbiny, ranked first worldwide, (3-1) on Sunday.
- Mohamed Salah won BBC’s African Footballer of the Year Award. Salah received the award from his manager, Jurgen Klopp.