Egypt celebrated winning 58 medals in the Mediterranean Games Championship in Taranto, Italy, especially after obtaining the number it had previously achieved in the same tournament in Beirut in 1959, which was 23 gold medals.
The Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Gohar Nabil, reviewed a report on the harvest of the Egyptian Olympic delegation in the Mediterranean Games “Taranto 2026” in Italy during a meeting of the Prime Minister, and described Egypt’s achievement of 58 medals distributed among 23 gold, 16 silver, and 19 bronze as “a new historical harvest, with which Egypt surpassed its previous best numbers in the Mediterranean Games, and topped the participating Arab countries, in one of the most prominent participations.” “Egypt on the Mediterranean stage,” according to a statement by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
The Minister of Youth and Sports stressed that “this achievement was not the result of one champion, nor one game, but rather came as a result of the work of an entire system in which the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and sports federations participated, through preparation, care and follow-up programs that extended until the moment of competition.”
Egyptian sports critic Saad Siddiq said, “The Egyptian delegation achieved honorable results and is superior to many countries, which confirms that sports are moving at a steady pace towards achieving more achievements thanks to the state of understanding between the members of the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee.”
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Olympic Committee is in a state of friendliness and cooperation with all members of the system. Everyone works for the public interest and does not consider attempts to cast doubt and unconstructive criticism on the part of a group that has devoted itself to attacking Egyptian sports officials for the purpose of settling scores.”
After presenting the detailed results in numbers, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly extended his congratulations and appreciation to Egypt’s Olympic delegation, including champions and technical and administrative staff, praising the historic sporting achievement that raised Egypt’s flag in international forums.
He stressed “the necessity of redoubling interest in emerging talents and competencies in various games, and nurturing them fully, in a way that ensures the continuation of the creation of champions and opens the way for new generations.”
Egyptian social media sites and pages celebrated what Egypt had achieved, highlighting its presence in fifth place in terms of achieving medals among the 27 countries that participated in the tournament.
Egyptian sports critic Osama Saqr believes that “the Ministry of Youth and Sports has the right to celebrate this achievement, especially since we equaled the Beirut tournament in 1959 in terms of gold medals with 23 medals.” He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “We must take into account that this tournament measures the level of Egyptian players at the level of the Mediterranean countries, not at the level of Europe, science, or Asia, but it is a tournament in which we have the right to be proud of the results, but we must pay attention to the necessity of supporting the Egyptian teams.” And the players in all tournaments so that they follow the right path.”
Saqr points out that “the Mediterranean Games usually involve the second or third teams at the national team level, with the exception of individual games such as wrestling, karate, weightlifting, etc., which is generally promising for Egyptian sports and calls for optimism, but it must be built upon in what is coming to achieve achievements at the Olympic and international levels.”
“Those whose fathers are poor cannot play, but those who have their children’s money play,” a former famous statement by retired Egyptian Zamalek player Mahmoud Abdel Razek “Shikabala,” sparked a strong reaction in the sports street, attributing the lack of talent in Egypt to financial difficulties.
With recent justifications issued by the recently escaped wrestling players, “Mohammed Al-Shami” and “Ziyad Abu Jabal,” the scope of “Shikabala’s” statement expands to include, in addition to football, individual games, after poverty turned into a decisive factor that determines the fate of her talents.
Last week saw the two wrestlers leave their delegations participating in the Mediterranean Games in Italy and the World Youth Championships in Slovakia. The two wrestlers then came out to justify the motives for their departure, as “Al-Shami” explained that the weakness of financial support prompted him to think about a more stable future, especially with the absence of guarantees for a decent life after retirement or in the event of injury, explaining that due to the family’s difficult circumstances he had to sacrifice and bear responsibility for it because he is the eldest of his brothers.
Then “Abu Jabal” followed him, referring to the financial crisis he was and is still facing, explaining that despite his international classification, he receives 700 pounds per month (a dollar equals 50.95 pounds), adding: “I am very tired and I am tired of my father being strong with me. I have cost him a lot, and he has seven sisters besides me.”
The past years have witnessed cases of Egyptian athletes fleeing due to financial difficulties, justifying how financial need led them for years to rely on simple food and vitamins, and manual labor at an early age to spend money on playing the game and achieving their dreams in it, in light of low financial support and poor care.
The list includes many names, such as the wrestlers Ahmed Baghdouda, Ibrahim Ghanem “Al-Wansh,” and Ahmed Jaber, the wrestler Mohamed Abdel Fattah “Bogie,” the freestyle wrestling player, Ahmed Hassan Bousha, and his brother Hassan. The list also included the gymnast, Abdel-Rahman Magdy, and the squash player, Mohamed El-Shorbagy.
These facts intersect with testimonies of football stars who spoke about the “bitterness of beginnings,” including Egyptian football star Mohamed Aboutrika, who narrated that the most difficult period in his life was in his beginnings, when poverty almost ended his dream before it began, as he needed sports shoes to continue, but he was unable to ask his father for its price because he knew his circumstances, as he preferred to remain silent and stay away from football for a whole year, because he was not able to provide the simplest things a player needed.
Returning to “Shikabala”, who went through difficult living conditions, as he grew up in a simple family in Aswan, and suffered from poverty and early alienation when he moved to Cairo at the age of ten to play in the Zamalek youth team, as he lived at the club’s headquarters.
With the 2026 World Cup, and the brilliance of the “Pharaohs” striker, Mustafa Zico, the player explained that he lived for years of hunger and deprivation after the death of his father, to the point that he used to sleep in the street and shower in the mosque, stressing that poverty was a strong motivation to continue until he reached wearing the Egyptian national team shirt.
The list also goes on behind football celebrities in Egypt, such as Hussein El-Shahat and Mohamed Magdy Afsha, who worked in many professions due to difficult circumstances, while former Zamalek defender, Ahmed Dowidar, left football to help his mother raise his daughters after his father’s death.
Despite the differences in previous stories, ups and downs, cessations and continuations, material difficulties remain an economic and social challenge, and a fundamental driver that shapes the path of athletes towards continuing or extinguishing the dream.
Dr. Mahmoud Fikri Al-Far, professor of sports sociology, believes that “poverty is not just an economic crisis, but rather a social determinant that determines the fate of talent and reshapes the lives of athletes. When a player feels that years of training and tournaments will not even give him the ability to buy an apartment or secure his future, he resorts to escape. The financial difficulty here not only kills the dream, but also pushes the talent to search for an alternative identity outside the country.”
He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We saw in the statements of the wrestlers Al-Shami and Abu Jabal that fear of the future was a motive for their escape, so there is a need to build a comprehensive system for athletes, which includes physical and tactical training, as well as psychological, social and economic support, and instills the values of belonging and sporting identity. Without this system, poverty will remain a factor that turns a dream into a burden.”
Al-Far points out that in group games, especially football, financial difficulties turn into a strong motivation, because the game itself allows for upward social mobility, and thus here poverty becomes fuel for the dream.
He continues: “Individual sports are mostly practiced among the lower classes, and with the lack of media and financial sponsorship, the player, no matter how many championships he achieves, remains trapped with meager salaries, so his poverty turns into an obstacle.”
According to the “Income and Expenditure” research issued by the Public Mobilization and Statistics Agency in September 2020 for the year 2019-2020, the poverty rate reached 29.7 percent.
Sports critic, Hebat Allah Muhammad, confirms that “poverty” was and still is a direct reason for the cessation of sports talent in various games. Many players were unable to continue their career, because they simply could not afford the costs of the sport itself, from nutrition to daily transportation to basic equipment.
She added to Asharq Al-Awsat, “In individual games, and with weak institutional and media support, poverty turns into the biggest challenge, pushing some to retire, flee, or naturalize in search of a decent life.” She continued, "Individual sports represent their players' sole source of income and are not just a hobby. When they are unable to secure their future or the future of their families, poverty becomes a direct reason for stopping their dreams."
