Following the terrorist attacks on Dahab and the north of Sinai last week, leading sports figures met to map out strategy to combat terrorism through their respective games. Inas Mazhar reports At the headquarters of the National Sports Council, the mood was sombre, a gathering being held in the wake of the Dahab bomb attacks which killed close to 20 people and injured dozens more. Some of the biggest sports leaders in the country met not just to remember what happened but to brainstorm over what to do about it by way of sports. Council boss Hassan Sakr called on heads and representatives of Egyptian sports federations to organise international events, each in his own respective sport, in Dahab and North Sinai, the sites where terrorists struck late last month. The aim was to send a message that these major global touristic spots are entirely safe for all, Egyptians as well as foreigners. Sakr announced that every federation would submit to the council its future agenda which should start by the beginning of June 2006 until the end of the year during which each federation would organise at least two international events at the sites which were attacked. Another long-term plan will be submitted including the names of the international tournaments expected to take place in Sinai in the next few years as an annual event. Sakr promised that the council will allocate a budget for all international championships as a way of supporting and encouraging federations to respond to the appeal. Presidents of the handball, wrestling, equestrian, volleyball, athletics and archery federations believed it wise to pay more attention to sports infrastructure in Sinai and to work to build new stadiums and indoor complexes because, they said, that would be the only means to attract sportsmen to hold international events there. It will also attract sports officials to hold their training camps in Sinai, where it would be cheaper and, because of its pollution-free surroundings, a healthier place for athletes. President of the Egyptian Football Association Samir Zaher suggested inviting the national soccer team, recent winners of the African Cup of Nations, to Dahab and North Sinai. Wagih Azzam, president of the Egyptian Cycling Federation, was quick to reply with his own idea, that his federation will organise a new tournament, one he named the Sinai International Cycling Race, in addition to the major international annual event, the Egypt Tour, which passes through Sinai. "That will make them two races," Azzam said. Ahmed Nasser, president of the modern pentathlon, called for encouraging residents of Sinai to practise sports and to scout for young talent to enlist them in the various national teams. During the meeting, sports officials discussed with Sakr a new sports law still under study. President of the Egyptian Equestrian Federation Abdel-Fattah Ragab said the draft law should limit the duration of the heads of federations and board members so as to give the opportunity to a new generation to lead federations to a better future, instead of sticking to the same names inheriting the federation for years and years. Kamal Darwish, former president of Zamalek club and member of the committee drafting the new law, said professionalism was an important item in its provisions. He called for forming a new commission in every federation and calling it the "professionals commission." Another suggestion, according to Darwish, is to form two federations for every sport; one for amateurs, the other for the professional game. Amr Elwani, head of the Volleyball Federation, said the new law should also consider the character of the new heads of each federation and their previous experience in the sport. "That will guarantee successful leadership," Elwani said, who also spoke about steroids and called for an international laboratory to be based in Cairo. President of the Egyptian Rowing Federation and secretary-general of the Egyptian National Olympic Committee Khaled Zein highlighted the necessity of establishing a sports court whose duty would be to resolve sports problems without the need for going to usual courts. Zaher, the EFA president, pointed to the Tunisian experience in "funding sports through non-governmental bodies and public figures." According to Zaher, because of this new administration in sports funding, "expectations were made. And in such an environment, everything is calculated according to studies and sports officials could call for more funds." Zaher was seconded by the president of the Egyptian Hockey Federation who gave as an example the South African experience. Hassan Mustafa, head of the Egyptian and international handball federations, zeroed in on sports marketing and creating new ideas to attract sponsors to sports which will in consequence help towards holding international events through marketing and sponsorships. Mustafa also suggested considering investing in sports by finding ways to attract audiences to various sports activities. The meeting was culminated by the issuance of recommendations, perhaps the most important being the holding of the next board meeting of each federation in Sinai in a bid to promote the area and coordinating between the Egyptian Olympic Committee and the sports federations for a quick plan of action before 15 May that would state the coming championships expected to take place in Sinai, and a similar plan to be submitted before May 30 for tournaments to be held in Upper Egypt.
