Egypt finished last in synchronised swimming at the Olympics. Ghada Abdel-Kader finds out why Egypt's synchronised swimming team, the first African and Arab squad in the region, ended up eighth in Beijing, the bottom of the table. The team, comprised of Reem Abdel-Azim, Aziza Abdel-Fattah, Hagar Badran, Dalia El-Gebali, Shaza El-Sayed, Youmna Khallaf, Mai Mohamed and Nourhan Saleh, scored 41,083, to fall behind the Australian team who scored 41,750, for last place. The event was won by the Russians who claimed the gold after finishing a perfect performance in the team free routine scoring a cumulative total of 99,500 points. Spain won the silver medal with a total of 98,251. Host China earned the bronze medal with 97,334 points. Fourth was Canada at 95,668. Sophie Sarwat, a board member of the Egyptian Swimming Federation and former synchronised swimmer, said, "This sport needs commitment from the parents and the athletes. They have daily training for eight hours. They have only one day off. Athletes must have strength, endurance, grace and rhythm. They hold their breath for long periods of time while performing intricate, coordinated dance movements in the swimming pool. To get to the Olympic Games takes years of hard work." Children in Egypt mainly start practicing synchronised swimming from the age of seven. By 16, the athlete quits if she hasn't made it to the national team. Sarwat talked about the difficulties they had in the Games. "Each team had four coaches and an administrator but our team had only one coach. We had two events. So, I had to do all administrative job and went back to help the coach. "We are not gods," Sarwat argued. "We cannot predict if we will win a medal because nobody knows what might happen. Egypt has talented athletes but they need more mental training. "Before travelling, I knew we would be placed eighth because we are the poorest and least developed continent in the sport. But our team is better than the Australian who put women from Mexico and France on their team. It was bit unfair. Our results were very close to theirs." Sarwat is looking to the next Olympics and is working on a plan. But she needs to solve one major problem. Of the five water sports, the most money goes to swimming, followed by waterpolo, then open water, diving and last synchronised swimming. "This is unfair and unprofessional because you have people running your sport and taking decisions when they know nothing about it." Accordingly, Sarwat said, she talked to Hassan Sakr, (president of the National Sports Council) about separating each sport so that it has its own budget and its own management. "He welcomed the idea but said it needs the approval of the people's Assembly. If so I'm sure each sport will blossom in its own way, especially ours." Synchronised swimming is a very popular and exciting sport in Egypt, Sarwat says. "We have about 1,000 women athletes from eight clubs. There are many Egyptian coaches but they are too young. They do it as a hobby, not as professionals. A professional coach dedicates her whole life to the sport. A coach must have creativity, know how to choose the type of music, how to apply and express it. It's like creating a symphony." Sarwat touched on the role of the press. "Everybody is afraid of the mass media and the power of the pen. Unfortunately, mass media in general doesn't know anything at all about sports. Sports media representatives should know everything about the sport they cover. It is important the way you present it to your reader. Media has an important role in changing these misconceptions in sports. However, we were impressed by the feedback we received from the Arab media who thought we were great to be there at the Olympics and display such performances." There are still four years to go before the London Olympics, and Sarwat is optimistic. "For the first time in our history the government has allocated a budget for the federation to recruit a Russian expert to lead the team . If we continue like this, our team will become better. Our girls are still young. In the next Olympics this team can claim either fourth or fifth place. But the girls must do something extraordinary if they wanted to reach the podium." The team will take part in the World Seniors Championships, the FINA Synchronised Swimming World Trophy, the World championship for players aged 15 to 18, and The Comen Cup for ages 13 to 15. But seeing her girls win medals is not Sarwat's only dream. She seeks to establish a synchro academy. "We have conducted studies on diets, classrooms, nurses, and teachers. I chose a professional headmistress but the main obstacle is the financing. If the government finances the project, this means that they can bring people to run it who don't understand anything about the sport. But If I have my swim girls running it with Egyptian coaches, it will be a success. " Despite the Beijing failure, Sarwat said it was a great opportunity for her girls to take part and gain the experience before London 2012. "Incredible" is how Sarwat, the founder of synchronised swimming in Egypt, described the Beijing Games. "They work in silence. They do this methodically and systematically and with discipline." "The philosophy of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to bring people together. It is a global gathering. Girls and boys come from all over the world no matter what your standard is."
