Egyptian Olympians have been given fake tracksuits and bags, Olympic committee chairman Mahmoud Ahmed Ali has confirmed. The embarrassing story was initially raised by synchronized swimmer Yomna Khallaf, who wrote on her twitter account that she and several of her colleagues were forced to pay from their own money to buy better equipment. It was later confirmed that a deal was struck with a Chinese distributor to provide cheaper equipment for Egyptian Olympians. "We signed with a Chinese distributor in light of Egypt's economic situation," head of Egyptian Olympic committee Gen. Ali told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "This costs a lot of money, especially in light of the team being 112 players. Plus we have the coaches, management and doctors going." Ali also said that the counterfeit gear was ‘sufficient'. Cheapest In the same manner, Olympic committee vice-president and head of Egypt's delegation in London Ahmed Al-Fouli admitted being provided with unofficial gear. “I really don't know what to say. Yes it is true we have discovered that many suits are unofficial," a disappointed Al-Fouli told Modern Kora TV. “We actually chose official Nike equipment but the financial department is obliged to accept the cheapest offer made by distributors, or else it would be considered a financial infringement according to tender laws in Egypt." Egypt is represented by 120 athletes in London this summer; the country's biggest ever number of participants ever to go to an Olympic tournament.
