‘A healthy mind in a healthy body'. We all know this wise saying of the ancients, so how can we expect young people to be intellectually healthy if they don't do any sports? Most Egyptian families are only concerned about their children's academic education, rather than their doing any sports. The Government also neglects sports, although physical exercise might deter youngsters from taking drugs, indulging in violence or joining radical groups. The Egyptian Government doesn't have any general vision for sports; former presidents never spoke formally about sports, although some senior officials are members of Ahly or Zamalek club or are sometimes spotted in the most exclusive box in Cairo Stadium. Under prime ministers from Fouad Mohieddin until Ahmed Nazif, who served until almost the end of Mubarak's regime, governments repeatedly bailed Al-Ahly and Zamalek, the nation's two biggest clubs, out of their financial crises, although they neglected youth centres and school playgrounds. All ministers of education in former governments participated in conferences calling for ‘A playground for every school in Egypt'. Local newspapers used to fill space reporting these empty promises. Since the January 25 revolution, young people have been asking about their rights. They want to live healthy lives. They have begun playing sports, but the dark reality is that youth centres are used for wedding parties, not sporting activities. Some businessmen have established private playgrounds, which they rent for LE80 per hour, exploiting the shortcomings of the youth centres. “I have built this playground to encourage young people to do sports. After the revolution, I want to do all I can to improve my country," Mahmoud Morgan, a former MP, told The Egyptian Gazette. “In my village, Bashteel [in Giza Governorate], the families are very poor. Their children can't join any clubs and the youth centre has been neglected, so I have built my playground. “Poor young men play for free; the others pay LE60 per hour. The playground is useful for both the poor and for me," he explained. These private playgrounds are small and there is no-one to coach the youngsters; all they do is play football there. But that's good for discharging all that youthful excess energy. Since the revolution, building materials like cement, sand and iron have become very expensive, which means real estate has too. This is why many landowners are building private playgrounds on their land. Hajj Khedr Ghanem, another Bashteel landowner, says that it's inexpensive to build private playgrounds, which are very lucrative. Moustafa Kamel, a student at Ain Shams University, spends the weekend in a café with his friends. “I've become very lazy and we can't afford to join clubs, so private playgrounds are great for us. We want to have healthy bodies and intellects, in order to rebuild our country," Moustafa says hopefully. “Sports save us from and misbehaviour. Mubarak neglected us. Schools didn't have any playgrounds," Joseph Hanna, a secondary school boy, told this newspaper. “We want the new President to care of sports and build more youth centres. Sports will help thwart the radical groups and make young Muslims and Christians one hand."
