Next month on Valentine's Day, Special Olympics (SO) Egypt's football team will be competing among teams from Morocco, Algeria and Libya to win its qualification ticket to the first ever football World Cup for the intellectually disabled. In a press conference held last week, Engineer Ayman Abdel-Wahab, SO MENA President and Managing Director declared, “The 14th of February is a very important date as it is the day that Magda Moussa passed away. Moussa is the first woman to open a class for the intellectually disabled in a normal school and this goes back to the 1970s. She is nicknamed Eunice Kennedy of the Middle East as she is the pioneer in introducing the Special Olympics program in Egypt and, from there, to the 23 countries of the Middle East and North Africa. She is the first one to allow those children and youth to be of benefit in their societies after long years of ignorance and shame.” He went on to explain that, as SO MENA President and Managing Director, he struggled a great deal so Egypt could become the host country for such qualifications. His aim was to prove to the whole world that there is peace and stability in Egypt. Abdel-Wahab sent invitations to a number of dignitaries and famous football players, such as Diago Maradona, to come to Egypt and attend the qualifications. Abdel-Wahab admitted that it was the first time for Special Olympics Egypt to receive proper backing and care from the government. Middle East football qualifications were held in Dubai last May, and Saudi Arabia in the first of two countries to represent the MENA Region in the coming World Cup in Malaysia from 1-10 November. The conference was attended by Minister of Sports Taher Abu Zaid, Minister of Youth Engineer Khaled Abdel-Aziz and Minister of National Development Engineer Hani Mahmoud. Abu Zaid started by making an announcement that shook the conference hall: he had given his consent on announcing the Special Olympics Egypt as an official federation that is equal to other federations and clubs in terms of both receiving annual help from the Ministry of Sports and legal rights. In addition to that, he made it clear that the ministry agreed to pay for the accommodation of all the teams and athletes taking part in the qualification. Moreover, the ministry provided Special Olympics Egypt's football team with the football shoes needed for the matches to be played all through the qualifications' six-day event. More joy ensued amongst the audience when Minister of Youth Khaled Abdel-Aziz began his speech by declaring that the government will honour its financial commitments to support the Special Olympics' athletes first and, if there is still money left, it will go to other sports. The news was met with a long interlude of clapping and whistling from the intellectually disabled present in the audience. Abdel-Aziz also provided the Egyptian football team with a complete football training kit for each player. He also promised to attend the qualifications and cheer the Egyptian team. On the other hand, Minister of National Development Hani Mahmoud, explained that he had witnessed the huge effort exerted by Magda Moussa ever since he joined the Special Olympics family in 2003. “I have enjoyed working with the intellectually disabled and I am still enjoying doing so. I thank God for choosing me to such a mission as it is really enjoyable and rewarding,” declared Mahmoud. The three ministers then congratulated the winning athletes in the previous SO MENA Games for tennis and floor hockey held in Oman last week. Renowned Egyptian actor and Special Olympics MENA Ambassador Hussein Fahmy asked the attendance to stop naming the Special Olympics athletes as mentally disabled, as, from his point of view, “A lot of people appear to be normal but they are the ones who are actually mentally disabled.” He called for a new name for the athletes; to be called Athletes with Special Abilities and not disabilities. He explained that he has worked for nine years in the mission of UN Ambassador, resigning after the Qena Massacre. He said he believes he was chosen for a better mission: to be the Special Olympics MENA Ambassador. “For years now I have accompanied the Special Olympics athletes in their events and competitions and I assure you that they are really talented on all levels. I benefit a lot by being with them more that they do by being with me.” Engineer Amal Mobada, SO Egypt national director, concluded the conference by sending a general invitation to all Egyptians to come and cheer the Special Olympics football team as they face tremendous competition from participating teams. She also announced that tickets will be available for the event by the beginning of February at the price of 10 Egyptians pounds each. The ticket will allow fans to attend the six-day event that will take place at the Aviation Defense Complex in the 5th District.
