CAIRO: A three-day conference took place in Cairo this week to discuss the successes and challenges surrounding young people and sport in Egypt. The conference was run by the British Council alongside the Ministry of Education, the National Sports Council, the Supreme Council of Universities, Egypt's Olympic and Paralympic Committees and UNICEF. The conference sought to increase opportunities for young Egyptians to participate in sport due to its physical, psychological and social benefits. The event aimed to address the unequal inclusion of young women and disabled people, the challenges surrounding limited or inadequate resources, and the strategies available to encourage participation in sport. Recent research from Nielson Research regarding young people and sport in Egypt was introduced by Iman El Hadary. One of their findings indicated that the primary reason for low sport participation among girls is studying and homework, closely followed by the views of their parents and to a lesser extent by customs and traditions in the country. The three days focused on young people, practitioners and policy-makers respectively. Speakers included Mohamad Rashwan, Olympic and World Championship silver medalist in Judo; Rania Elwani, swimming champion; and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson who has won multiple Paralympic gold medals. Policy-makers, students, professors and practitioners also contributed stories, challenges and recommendations to the conference. “We are not just looking at challenges,” Anthony Hall, Project Manager for Sport at the British Council, was keen to emphasize in an interview with Bikyamasr.com, “We are also looking at successes. Getting all people together to share ideas and successes might be a way of finding solutions”. Recommendations included emphasizing the role of the media in promoting sports as well as in introducing role models, addressing the shortage in and poor training of PE teachers, and raising awareness of the benefits of participating in sport among students, families and the broader community. Hall believes that the conference “is in the spirit of post-revolution Egypt. It is about everyone having a voice heard and responded to”. Egypt is the twentieth and final country to benefit from the UK's International Inspiration program, which hopes to leave a legacy from the 2012 Olympic games in London by enriching the lives of young people through sport. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/58dKt Tags: British Council, Conference, Sport, Youth Section: Egypt, Egyptian Sport, Features, Latest News
