The Olympic torch came to Cairo on its worldwide tour. Inas Mazhar reports on what the relay meant to the city As the sun set over the sands of Egypt, a 17-year-old modern pentathlete, Ayah Medani, carried the Olympic torch on its last lap in the long shadow of the Pyramids. Friday 11 June was a significant date in Egyptian sports history. On the day Egypt became the first African and Arab country to have the Olympic torch pass its way. The one-day event came almost a month after Egypt lost out on the bidding for the 2010 World Cup and to some extent put smiles back on at least some faces. The torch had come from New Delhi on its worldwide tour. At the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee at Cairo Stadium, Mounir Thabet, president of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, presented the torch to the first torchbearer, Mohamed Rashwan, judo silver medallist in 1984. "It is an honour to have seen the flame in our city," said Thabet. "As a member of the International Olympic Committee, I cannot but be satisfied that the work in Athens is progressing smoothly and only a few details are left before the opening of the Games. I am familiar with Greek people and I know they can accomplish what they have set out to do." Greek singer Demis Roussos, born in Egypt, said the Olympic Games belonged to the Greek spirit. "They are identified with ancient Greece and they will be identified with modern Greece, too," Roussos said. He added he was "proud, honoured and delighted" to witness and pass the Olympic flame from the country of his origin to the country of his birth. Rashwan then gave the flame to actress Yousra. Despite the heat of Cairo that day and Friday being the official day off, thousands of Egyptians lined the 34- kilometre route to get a glimpse of 100 celebrities representing sportsmen and women, actors, actresses, singers, businessmen and public figures who served as torchbearers. Some ran or walked no more than 300 metres. Among the torchbearers was Namjuddin of Afghanistan, who lost both his legs in a minefield explosion in 1982 at the age of 18. Able to walk only a few metres at a time Namjuddin, a physiotherapist by profession, is a Red Cross manager in Afghanistan. After several operations, he was able to walk using artificial limbs and is now active in rehabilitating victims with similar injuries. "I am happy to participate in the Athens spirit," Namjuddin said as he held the flame in Cairo. "I do this to send a message to the world: Stop laying minefields. The Olympic Games is an opportunity to call on people to join in our cause." Another man with an artificial leg, Emmanuel Yabua from Ghana, was standing a few metres away. Yabua was born with his right leg much shorter than his left. "I'm glad I can invite people with mobility problems to persist and overcome their problem," he said. "This is what I will be doing in Athens." The Greek community in Cairo not only participated at the torch relay but has also been active in promoting the Games, as Giannis Argyros, one of the first torchbearers, explained. "The general feeling in Egypt about the Games is good. This is a people with a friendly attitude towards Greece, one to which I think we, the members of the Greek community, have contributed." The Olympic flame passed through central areas of Cairo in a journey that took almost five and a half hours, with folkloric performances taking place during the two 15-minute breaks at Tahrir Square and in front of Cairo University, before it arrived at the Pyramids. Just before sunset, the Olympic flame arrived at the Pyramids plateau to rest in front of the sphinx who delivered an impressive "speech" to welcome the torch in the ancient land of the pharaohs. Egyptian pop singer Anoushka then entertained the audience, singing "Pass the flame, unite the world" to crown the evening before the torch was flown to Cape Town, South Africa, to continue its African journey. The following day, Nelson Mandela hoisted the torch in the courtyard of the prison where he was held for 18 years as the South African winter sun shed light on the Olympic flame's journey around the world. The moment was filled by the clapping and cheers of the few locals and South African journalists who were there to witness it. They all began chanting the South African leader's name. There, at the edge of a continent where a struggle that came to symbolise human rights had taken place, Mandela did not hide his emotion and thanked those who had brought the flame to the courtyard of his jail. Athens 2004 Executive Director Marton Simitsek described the paradoxical nature of the moment: "We brought the Olympic flame, symbol of peace and justice, to a place that symbolises injustice and oppression." Simitsek reminded everyone that South Africa had helped Athens in their bid for the Games and presented Mandela with an invitation to attend the Athens Olympic Games in August of 2004. It was a colourful journey that began modestly but ended with a rip-roaring celebration in the centre of town. On this occasion the Olympic flame's journey did not begin from a central point but was lit in a sports centre near a vast crime-ridden shantytown. The first torchbearer was a young local woman who had won a NASA scholarship. "Each child that goes to sports is one less child in the courts," said the sign at the starting line. A few years ago South Africa was excluded from the Olympic Games. Now it is trying to secure human rights and better living conditions for the have-nots. Mandela's lawyer, Giorgos Bizos, who is of Greek descent, was one of the torchbearers. The Greek community in South Africa mobilised to welcome the flame and organised a celebration with traditional Greek music. A few hours later the entire population was invited to an open feast that closed with a concert on the eve of the flame's departure. Thousands of people danced and watched an impressive display of fireworks. In Rio de Janeiro, the flame entered Maracana Stadium with Brazilian football legend Pele as the first torchbearer. The flame later goes to the US city of St Louis.
