The Greek triumph in Euro 2004 was used as a model for Egyptian athletes who were given an ambassadorial pep talk as they prepare for the Athens Olympics To celebrate the spirit of athleticism, Ambassador of Greece to Egypt Panayotis Vlassopoulos held a reception for members of the Egyptian National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the athletes who will represent Egypt in next month's Olympic Games in Athens, Inas Mazhar reports. The one-hour reception was attended by NOC President Mounir Sabet, board members Abdel- Rahman Amin and Mounira Morkos and NOC treasurer Mohamed Kabesh, in addition to Mohamed Abdellah, president of the fencing federation, and Ahmed El-Fouli, head of the taekwondu federation. The athletes were represented by marksman Mohamed Ismail, fencer Yasser Mahmoud, judoist Bassel El-Gharabawi, rowing champion Ali Ibrahim, water polo player Mohamed Hussein and Karim Ashraf in field hockey. The reception was also attended by media representatives and the Egyptian actresses Laila Elwi and Hala Sedqi who served as torch bearer when the Olympic flame was on tour in Cairo last month. The ambassador congratulated the NOC for its organisation of the Olympic torch relay on 11 June. He also welcomed the Egyptian delegation travelling to Athens in less than a month, wishing them good luck in the competitions. Vlassopoulos said Egyptians should do their best and hope for the best, citing the Greek football team which won Euro 2004 against huge odds. "Egypt could claim medals in Athens," Vlassopoulos said. During the reception, a 20-minute video tape of the Olympic torch relay in Cairo was shown, along with the final preparations being made in Athens. It concluded with the Greek football team's goals in the Euro semi-final against the Czech Republic and the final against hosts Portugal. Sabet thanked the ambassador for receiving the Egyptian delegation and for the embassy's generous hospitality. He said there was total cooperation between the embassy and the NOC which, he added, was clear during the preparation and organisation of the Olympics torch relay. He hoped that Egypt would win an Olympic medal after a 20-year absence. The last Olympic medal Egypt won was at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles when Mohamed Rashwan won a silver in judo. NOC managing director Ahmed Enan said the Greek Embassy in Cairo had been of great help for the past several months. "They were fully cooperative and contributed greatly, especially during the Olympic torch relay. They were just as keen on the success of the event as we were. The embassy also offered us all the facilities required for the Egyptian delegation and granted us entry visas to the country."
