2023-09-08 14:05:28
During the recent period, the Egyptian wrestling national team players repeatedly escaped, raising questions about the reasons and repercussions of this, while officials and specialists reveal to Al-Hurra website the dimensions of the crisis and the extent of its impact on the future of sports in Egypt.
On Thursday, Saif Shoukry, a player for the Egyptian wrestling team, escaped from a camp in Kyrgyzstan in preparation for the U-23 World Championship, and the incident occurred while the player was at Dubai Airport as a “transit” on his return trip to Cairo, according to “Egyptian media“.
On Friday, Saif Shukri published a post on his page on the website “FacebookDuring which it appears that he is in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, he said, “I am very sorry to my loved ones and friends. I do not know how to respond to anyone.. I am fine, do not worry about me, and God willing, I will reassure you soon.”
This represents a new case of escape in the Wrestling Federation after the crisis of the escape of the Egyptian national team player, Ahmed Fouad Baghdouda, while participating in the African Championship held in Tunisia, May 2023.
Egyptian wrestling national team player Ahmed Fouad Baghdouda
In August 2022, the Egyptian U-17 wrestling team player, Mohamed Essam Fathi, escaped while participating in the International Wrestling Federation camp held in Italy, as I reported at the time.Egyptian media“.
Why do Egyptian players flee?
Egyptian sports critic, Dina Nabil, reveals several reasons and problems behind the “repeated escape of Egyptian wrestling players.”
The players’ monthly salaries are “low” and range from 1,500 to 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($37.5 to 50), and the incentive bonuses are “low”, and all players suffer from these financial problems, even those who hold Olympic medals, according to her talk to the “Al-Hurra” website.
She stresses that “sport is the life of these players and they have no jobs or other sources of income.”
When someone suffers an “injury,” no one supports him, and the wrestling federation does not pay the treatment expenses. There is a famous crisis related to the player, Tariq Abdel Salam, in 2017, who escaped and obtained Bulgarian citizenship, and later won European gold, according to what the sports critic explains.
Before obtaining Bulgarian citizenship, Abdel Salam won several medals for the Egyptian wrestling team, including a gold medal in the African Games Championship, a silver medal in the Bulgarian International Championship “Nikola Petrov and Danklov”, a bronze medal in the Mediterranean Championships in Turkey, as well as a bronze medal in the World Youth Championships in Sofia.
Nabil points out that individual sports players in general suffer from a “lack of support.”
Whenever a problem or crisis occurs, the competent authorities promise to “develop solutions,” but this does not happen, and the easiest response is, “We have many others,” according to the sports critic.
Social and economic reasons?
Professor of political sociology, Saeed Sadiq, explains that there are many “economic and social” reasons behind the repeated escape of Egyptian players.
Because of these crises, these young people see that “the future is dark and ambiguous,” which prompts them to “flee and emigrate outside the country,” according to what he told the Al-Hurra website.
He wonders, “If the salaries of these players are lucrative and they see that their future is guaranteed…what would prompt them to flee and leave everything behind them?!”
The professor of political sociology believes that “nepotism, nepotism, and corruption exist within the federations of these games.”
When one of the young players sees that the one who escaped before them was able to achieve “success,” he repeats that, in what is like a “vicious circle,” according to Sadiq’s explanation.
He points out that these players seek a “better future,” and believe that the only way to achieve it is “escape.”
Positive and negative aspects?
Speaking to Al-Hurra website, population and migration studies expert, Ayman Zuhri, points out positive and negative aspects regarding the flight of these young people out of Egypt.
The positive side relates to the fact that “progress in the field of sports is available to everyone, the absence of elitism in the sports field, and Egypt’s possession of sports talent,” according to Zohri.
He explains that these young men who represent Egypt in international sports forums “were not corruptly selected and are not from the elite, and they represent part of the fabric of Egyptian society, especially from the lower classes.”
As long as these people represent the general Egyptian people, it is natural for some of them to undertake “irregular migration,” similar to other classes in society who think about “individual salvation,” according to the expert on population and migration studies.
He believes that the “driving conditions” for youth migration “exist, are still continuing, and will continue,” and on top of that is the economic situation that Egypt is going through, which will inevitably produce this type of “irregular migration.”
Unemployment among young people is “high,” and educational outcomes over the past decades “do not keep pace with the basic skills that must be possessed by anyone looking for work,” and these are crises for which there are no “temporary solutions,” according to Zuhri.
Warning of “future repercussions”
Dina Nabil warns of “serious repercussions and huge losses” as a result of players repeatedly escaping after being qualified and possessing talents that enable them to “win medals in the name of other countries.”
There are also players of “young” ages who have problems with federations due to “obstacles,” which threatens to repeat this scenario in the future, according to the sports critic.
She says that there are some countries that follow “the problems of Egyptian players,” set their eyes on these heroes and offer them “naturalization.”
We must sit down with the players of “individual sports” and provide for their requirements, and as long as the problems are not solved radically, the matter is likely to be repeated, according to Nabil.
For his part, Saeed Sadiq believes that “failing to solve the problems of some players” may prompt others to repeat the matter in the future.
He stresses that following the principle, “If you leave, someone else will bring you,” will harm the future of Egyptian sports, because it is difficult to “replace talent.”
Not all countries have “a lot of talent” that can be replaced, and this will have “negative repercussions on the future of sports in Egypt,” according to the professor of political sociology.
He warns that this will make Egypt lose more “talented players,” who will play for other countries.
Ayman Zohri agrees with him, who asserts that not developing solutions will make Egypt “lose young talents,” but he says, “If it is not possible to exploit their abilities, let us let the world benefit from them.”
Response of the competent sports authorities
On the other hand, the Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Ashraf Sobhi, in statements to the “Al-Hurra” website, denied that the players were not treated and that “small” bonuses and salaries were paid, which would prompt them to flee, saying that this was “completely untrue.”
In a related context, the spokesman for the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Egypt, Mohamed El-Shazly, confirms that “an investigation will be conducted” regarding the incident of player Saif Shukri’s escape.
Speaking to Al-Hurra website, he revealed that the Ministry had requested “an official report from the Wrestling Federation regarding the incident,” to reveal the circumstances of the player’s disappearance, and to take legal measures in this regard.
He explains that the Ministry of Youth and Sports holds all federations accountable regarding “technical results and administrative errors,” and violations may be monitored and referred to the competent authorities because the Ministry is not “an official investigative body in the country.”
He stresses that the ministry is “interested in youth and provides them with great attention,” but there are also challenges it faces related to “economic crises.”
5,000 youth centers were developed, and 5,702 projects were launched that enable them to practice all different activities, according to the Ministry’s spokesman.
Egypt sends 1,200 sports delegations annually to participate in “official camps or tournaments,” which is an unprecedented number and requires “a very large financial compensation,” according to Al-Shazly.
He points out that Egypt wins gold medals in wrestling in the youth, junior and adult stages.
Al-Shazly believes that the issue of “naturalization and flight” of young people exists in all countries of the world, and he says: “We adhere to all players, but we have many champions in all games at all age levels.”
Al-Hurra website contacted the head of the Free Wrestling Federation in Egypt, Major General Essam Nawar, by phone, but did not receive a comment.
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