“It's time, sports has a proper law,” said Egypt's Sports Minister Al-Amri Farouk. “We need a law to organise the relationship and protect the rights of all parties involved in the sports field — ministry, federations, clubs, schools, universities sports medicine, media and personnel. “We need a law for the future with creative creations that would meet the existing changing real world, a law that would regulate the Egyptian sports movement with the international one, a law that would confirm that sports is an industry and an investment, an active and vibrant sector necessary to promote the Egyptian economy. “We need a law that would organise and protect sponsorship rights, TV broadcasting and help in establishing companies, newspapers and channels. A law to protect copyright and solve sports disputes is also a necessity. “The law we really seek should also include achieving full health and medical care to sportsmen, sports insurance and banning doping.” Farouk wa speaking at a three- day conference ‘Egyptian Sports on the Right Track' at the Cairo Conference Center in Nasr City where seven sessions were held that saw a high attendance turnout. Panels were held in which experts spoke and answered questions. “These sessions and the discussions helped brainstorm and generate recommendations and suggestions which will be taken into consideration when planning and setting the rules,” Farouk said. The main sessions tackled investment in sports, sponsorship rights and television transmission, sports medicine, doping and sports insurance, the relationship between sports media and the clubs and federations as well as establishing newspapers and TV sports channels, determining the legal accountability and responsibility in sports events and disputes, formation and elections of the clubs, federations and sports bodies board of directors and the relationship with their general assemblies, the right of each Egyptian individual to practice sports and most importantly promoting sports activities in schools and universities. Recommendations included encouraging sports investments especially in facilities. The Cairo Stadium Complex was used as an example. Its executive director Ashraf Sobhi said facilities in Egypt could generate huge amounts of money from investments and that Cairo Stadium is to receive some experts in the field to guide them to means of investing in such facilities. However, experts pointed to one obstacle -- taxes imposed on investments. It was recommended that tax reductions should be taken into consideration as an incentive to attract investments. Customs for sports outfits and equipment should also be reduced. Protecting the sports industry and products as well as considering sports as a source of income is also one of the key recommendations that was generated during the conference. An integral health care system for all sportsmen involved in the field was recommended to ensure that each person receives the best treatment. Sports medicine and professionally accredited medical centers under the supervision of the Ministry of Sports was also another essential requirement. Certified and professional medical bodies in the field should always accompany teams. Raising awareness of doping and its dangers and the formation of an accredited international lab was one of the priorities during the conference. The item of eight years in the federations and clubs boards remained in the air. It was not clear if the former law set by the former head of the sports council Hassan Sakr will continue or the new law will take its place. Sakr's law had set two terms of eight years as the maximum a member could be in the board of a club or federation. He could not run for elections again except after four more years. In the conference, most members decided to leave the matter open open while some believed that others should be given the opportunity to step in and lead the sport with a new vision. Participants added that when officials draw up the draft of the new sports law, it should be brought up again for discussion publicly as in the case of the conference and recommendations before it is officially issued. According to most participants, the last thing they would want to see is a decree coming into effect without any consultation.
