Al-Ahly Club announced, on Thursday, that Amr El-Gazzar, the team’s player, suffered a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee, in addition to a tear in the internal cartilage.
Ahmed Jaballah, head of the team's medical staff, said in statements to his club's official website on Thursday that the x-rays that Al-Jazzar underwent this morning revealed the nature of the injury to which the player was exposed.
Jaballah added that a date is currently being set for Al-Jazzar to undergo surgery during the coming period, in preparation for the start of his treatment and rehabilitation program.
Al-Gazzar, who joined Al-Ahly last January, suffered the injury during the Red Team’s 1-1 draw with its host, Arab Contractors, on Wednesday, in the fourth stage of the Egyptian Premier League.
The match witnessed Al-Ahly losing the first two points in its career in the competition, which is seeking to regain the title that it lost last season, so it is currently in third place with 10 points, on goal difference, behind its traditional rival Zamalek, which is in second place, and two points behind Pyramids (the leaders).
The Asian Games began in Japan on Thursday with Qatar's victory over Iran in the opening match of the group stage of the men's basketball competition, in the first competition of the multi-game continental sporting event, where the number of participants exceeds its counterpart in the Olympic Games.
More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to participate in 43 sports in the Nagoya-Aichi Games, which officially begin only with the opening ceremony on September 19, and will continue until October 4.
Several competitions will take place before the opening ceremony, including basketball, football, cricket, hockey and modern pentathlon.
The Qatari team withstood an Iranian comeback and won the second group match with a score of 59-35 at the Aichi International Stadium in Nagoya, in the first match in the men’s basketball competitions, the final match of which will be held on September 20, that is, one day after the opening ceremony.
Qualification cards for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will also be at stake in a number of sports during the Asian Games, which return to Japan for the first time since 1994.
The organizers hope that the athletes will have a “unique experience” by staying in attractive places ranging from a cruise ship, wooden containers and traditional hotel rooms.
Officials expressed confidence that the plan would not be affected by the typhoon season in Japan, which is usually at its peak during the months of September and October.
The weather has already caused some disturbances, as record rains that fell on Tuesday forced hundreds of athletes to evacuate their accommodation for a short period. Rainwater also seeped into some competition sites, while forecasts indicate that the rainy weather will continue in the coming days.
Among the stars participating in the tournament is the promising Filipino tennis player Alexandra Ayala, along with two promising world-class talents, 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Suryanvanshi, and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.
Kuwait is participating with a delegation that includes 120 male and female athletes competing in 16 sports in the “20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026)” in Japan, during the period from September 19 to October 4 next.
Sheikh Fahd Nasser Al-Sabah, President of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, said in a statement distributed by the Committee’s Media Center that Kuwaiti participation represents “an important milestone for Kuwaiti sports, and an opportunity to highlight the capabilities of Kuwaiti athletes in one of the largest sports forums on the Asian continent.”
The Kuwaiti participation comes amid aspirations to achieve positive results in the face of strong competition from elite athletes and Asian teams, in a tournament that attracts wide participation from various countries of the continent.
Kuwait participates in 16 games; They are: archery, athletics, football, golf, modern pentathlon, fencing, tic-ball, sport climbing, karate, equestrian, squash, jiu-jitsu, swimming, handball, padel and sailing.
Sheikh Fahd stressed that the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee was keen to provide the necessary capabilities to prepare the delegation and enable the athletes to appear “in the honorable image that befits the name of the State of Kuwait,” noting that “the diversity of participation between group and individual games reflects the broad base of Kuwaiti attendance in the tournament.”
