Cairo, Egypt – 7 November 2009
The first leg of our Why Sport Matters journey is already coming to an end. Having spent the last 2 weeks in and around Cairo, we were able to slip away today to go see the famous Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of the city. It is truly breath-taking to watch the golden sun go down in between these ancient marvels. We took the occasion to film this video as a summary of our time here in Egypt.
We had the good fortune to spend time with a variety of people in the sporting community and got a good taste of the sport culture. Visits included the Cairo Stadium and sport complex (which also holds the Egyptian Olympic Committee), the Olympic training center, qualification for juniors in squash to go to next year’s British Open (one of the big events on the squash calendar), and an interview with one of the greatest football players in Egypt history, Abdel Moneim Hussein.
Although squash was not voted onto the Olympic programme in the latest vote by the IOC, it is still a passion here in Egypt. Many attribute the interest due to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s love for the sport. Nonetheless, the squash community in Egypt is a tight-knit group that constantly seeks out and trains new talent from an early age. Over the years, Egypt has come to dominate the world scene, and produces more world champions than any other country.
Most eyes here however are focused on football over the next year, which culminates in South Africa 2010, the first ever World Cup to be held in Africa. The Egyptian Olympic Committee sees the impact the World Cup is bringing to Africa, and is leading them to consider a run at the 2020 Summer Games. FULL STORY »
Cairo, Egypt – 31 October 2009
Happy Halloween from Egypt!
After months of planning, we have finally begun our world journey for Why Sport Matters. The first leg of our trip takes us to Cairo and our impressions so far of this capital city is that is just like most big modern cities: lots of people moving about, different types of neighborhoods, unique architecture, and good food — kushari (see photo below) and baba ghanoush being our favorites, so far. While we were unsure of what to expect for our first visit to an arabic and mostly Muslim country, we have been amazed to discover how warm and welcoming Egyptians are.
From the sporting perspective, the first thing you learn is that football (soccer) rules in Africa (the photo above shows a football field sharing space with a mosque). One person said that on a popularity scale, football is the entire top 10, then you have the rest. Football is indeed everywhere (see photo of Real Madrid’s Ronaldo on a massive billboard), from people playing in any available space, to watching it on TV, to talking about it socially.
Much of the sporting structure in Egypt is based on the “Sports Club”, which is at its base a massive complex with multiple sports to be practiced and played. But they are much more than that — as it is also an important social setting which establishes community networks and social bonding. One of our first visits was to the renowned Heliopolis Sports Club that was gracious enough to give us a tour of their beautiful facility.
Two of the biggest of these clubs in Cairo are the Zamalek and Al-Ahly clubs, which focus especially hard on developing their top-level football teams. As a result, this is the most intense football rivalry in the country and the derby matches are the most anticipated of each season. The model seems to be successful as the big clubs are producing the players for the Egyptian national team which is the current African champion.
FULL STORY »
