Under the slogan, “Egypt, our mother,” The Egyptian Sports Culture Association held an event with IOC Vice president Nawal Al-Moutawakel as keynote speaker and guest of honour. During her 24-hour visit, Moroccan Al-Moutawakel participated in a whirlwind of activities, which all took place on Saturday. Her schedule began by joining a group of sportswomen in a march around the track at the Cairo International Stadium accompanied by the Minister of Youth and Sports and other female sports dignitaries. Al-Moutawakel is the first Arab Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1984 in Los Angeles. Against all odds, she snatched the 400-metre hurdles race, which had been added to the Olympic program only that year. In this race, Al-Moutawakel beat the world's best in the sport to see her nation's flag raised high in the Olympic Stadium. After the march, Al-Moutawakel joined the Youth and Sports Minister in honouring all the mothers who produced talented athletes and supported them till they won Olympic medals and made legends of themselves in Egyptian sports. The mothers of Judo Mohamed Rashwan, winner of the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games, Hesham Mesbah, winner of the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games of Beijing, wrestler Karam Gaber, winner of the 2004 Olympic Games gold medal and the silver at the 2012 London Games and fencer Alaa El-Sayed, winner of the silver medal at the 2012 London Games, in addition to Olympic handicapped weighlifter, Fatma Omar, who was the mother of three when she won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games. Two other honours went to the mother of Egypt's former team captain, Ahmed Hassan, the world's most capped football player, and the mother of late Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, Ahli's player who died at the age of 23 while training in the club. A special honour went to the wife of the late police officer, Amer Abdel-Maqsoud, who was assassinated by Muslim Brotherhood supporters after the dissolution of the Raba'a sit-in last August. Abdel-Maqsoud was a former football player and was on duty that day. He was killed in what is famously known as the “Kerdasa Masacre” of police officers and army soldiers. The event also comprised a speech given by Al-Moutawakel, who not only spoke of her success story, but also passed on advice to the attending sportswomen on how to face the challenges of being a girl, jumping the hurdles to achieve success and to reach their goal. Being a mother of two, Al-Moutawakel also spoke to the mothers on how to nurture their children and lead them to the top of their sport.
