Winning an impressive number of gold, silver and bronze medals, Egyptian athletes led the “box office” of the ten-day tournament after a successful campaign in which they especially excelled at the swimming stadium, which was a full-house with all tickets sold-out. The gold medalists included swimmers Ahmed Akram and Salma Saber. Akram was the heartthrob on the first day of the swimming competition, clinching two gold medals in two races — the 200-metres freestyle and the 200-metres freestyle medley. Saber claimed a gold in the 50-metres freestyle race. Weightlifter Mohamed Shaker claimed a gold medal in the over 85 kg weight category. Shaker lifted a total of 305 kg — 135 kg in the snatch and 170 kg in the jerk. The girls' cycling team claimed a silver medal in the 21-km race behind their South African counterparts, who won the gold, but ahead of the bronze medalists, the Nigerians. The mixed badminton team won the event's bronze medal. The team comprised of Abdallah Hussen, Adham Hatem, Youssef Essam, Farida Mostafa and Doha Mohamed. Rowing also clinched two bronze medals by Israa Ibrahim in the girls' competition and Mohamed Gamal in the boys' event. Egypt's athletes' accommodation facilities have been below standards. Threatened by rats at their places of lodging, the athletes were given rat traps by the organisers after complaining about the problem. Furthermore, the Egyptian delegation had a rough trip flying in to Botswana. The chartered flight that took them from Johannesburg to Botswana was subjected to severe air turbulences. A total of 2,500 youth athletes from 54 countries are competing in 21 sports disciplines at 13 different venues. They are joined by 1,500 officials at the ten-day event that ends on 31 May. The games were opened by Botswana President Ian Kharma Seretse, who extolled the role of sports in society. “Sports is one of the most cross-cutting of all development and peace tools. Through the African Youth Games, we are unifying the youth as well as showcasing their talent,” he said. Speaking at the Botswana national stadium, Kharma emphasised that the games also provide an important platform for our young people to get to know one another and to cultivate mutual respect for each other and for others in the world we live in. About 15,000 spectators witnessed a colourful performance at the opening ceremony, displaying the beauty of Botswana from the renowned wildlife of the savannah, to the coveted diamonds and culture of the people. The continental event is a qualifying event for athletics, basketball and swimming to the second edition of the Youth Olympic Games that will be held in Nanjing, China from August 16-28. Swimming, judo and table tennis were among the sports that started with the beginning of the first week of the games, while volleyball and basketball rolled off on the following day. Football began hours before the opening ceremony, as the football tournament is usually longer. The first edition of the All Africa Youth Games, in which players from 40 countries participated, was held in Rabat, Morocco in 2010.
