The sporting culture of modern Egypt traces its roots to ancient Egypt, where wrestling, weightlifting, stick fencing, and ball games were practiced for both amusem*nt and physical training. The 1952 revolution resulted in unprecedented government investment in sports infrastructure for schools, universities, training institutes, and clubs in an effort to expand the country’s international status.
Contemporary sports culture reveres prominent wrestlers, weightlifters (who have won most of Egypt’s Olympic medals), boxers, and swimmers. Since the early 1980s, basketball’s popularity in Egypt has risen thanks to the achievements of the men’s national team, which won the African championship in 1983. Volleyball is another team sport that enjoys a wide following, and various martial arts (including judo and tae kwon do) are popular individual sports. However, football (soccer) remains the most popular sport in the country. The Cairo clubs al-Ahli and Zamalik can attract as many as 100,000 spectators to their games, and between them the two teams have won dozens of domestic championships and continent-wide trophies. The national team, the Pharaohs, was the first African representative at the World Cup (1934) and has won the African Cup of Nations a number of times since competitions began in 1957.
The Egyptian Olympic Committee was founded in 1910, and an Egyptian first participated in the Summer Games in 1912.
Egypt at the Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Gold
Ibrahim Moustafa - Wrestling, Greco-Roman Light Heavyweight
El Sayed Nosseir - Weightlifting, Light Heavyweight
Silver
Farid Simaika — Diving, Platform
Bronze
Farid Simaika — Diving, Springboard
The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany
Gold
Anwar Mesbah — Weightlifting, Lightweight
Khadr Sayed El-Touni — Weightlifting, Middleweight
Silver
Saleh Soliman — Weightlifting, Featherweight
Bronze
Ibrahim Shams — Weightlifting, Featherweight
Ibrahim Wasif — Weightlifting, Light Heavyweight
The 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England
Gold
Ibrahim Shams — Weightlifting, Lightweight
Mahmoud Fayad - Weightlifting, Featherweight
Silver
Attia Hamouda — Weightlifting, Lightweight
Ali Hassan — Wrestling, Greco-Roman Bantamweight
Bronze
Ibrahim Orabi — Wrestling, Greco-Roman Light Heavyweight
The 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland
Bronze
Abdel-Kader Rashed — Wrestling, Greco-Roman Featherweight
The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy
Silver
Eid Osman – Wrestling
Bronze
Mohammad Abdel-Moneim – Boxing
The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States
Silver
Mohamed Ali Rashwan — Judo, Men’s Open Class
The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece
Gold
Karam Gaber — Wrestling, Men’s Greco-Roman (96 kg)
Silver
Mohamed Aly — Boxing, Men’s Super Heavyweight (over 91 kg)
Bronze
Ahmed Ismail — Boxing, Men’s Light Heavyweight (81 kg)
Mohamed Elsayed — Boxing, Men’s Heavyweight (91 kg)
Tamer Bayoumi — Taekwondo, Men’s 58 kg
Egypt and the Mediterranean Games
The father of the Mediterranean Games is Dr. Mohamed Taher Pasha (1879-1970), from Egypt. Taher Pasha, a Doctor in Political Sciences, believed that sport was a means to achieve peace and fraternity. He founded the Egyptian Flying Club in 1931 and served as the President of the International Aeronautics Federation from 1934 to 1947. He was President of the Egyptian Federation of Fencing from 1936 and 1952. Taher Pasha was also Chief of Protocol of the International Olympic Committee and Member of the Executive Commission of the IOC from 1952 to 1957. From 1960 to 1964, he was Assistant of Avery Brundage, President of the CIO. Following the Summer Olympic Games held in London in 1948, Taher Pasha convinced the National Olympic Committees of the Mediterranean countries to create the Mediterranean Games.
Egypt participated in 17 competitions with 111 athletes, including 24 women athletes. Egypt’s won the following medals:
In the fifteenth Mediterranean Games held in Almeria, Spain on June 24 to July 3, 2005, Egypt came in fifth with respect to all participants after Italy, France, Spain and Turkey, and first with respect to Arab countries followed by Tunisia and Algeria. In the 15th Med. Games, Egypt participated in 17 competitions with 111 athletes, including 24 women athletes. They won the following medals:
| S. No. | Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Boxing | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2 | Judo | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Equestrian | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4 | Karate | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 5 | Rowing | 1 | 1 | ||
| 6 | Swimming | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 7 | Weightlifting | 7 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| 8 | Wrestling | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 9 | Volleyball | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 15 | 10 | 18 | 43 |
List of Medal-Winning Egyptian Athletes in the 15th Mediterranean Games
Gold Medals
Boxing
Mohamed A. Heikel
Karate
Heba E. S. Ali
Mohamed I. S. Elshemy
Weightlifting
Esmat M. E. Ahmed
Hebat Allah A. Ibraheem
Nahla R. M. Mohamed
Nahla R. M. Mohamed
Mohamed E. A. Masoud
Hussein F. A. Osman
Ibraheem A. M. Morsy
Wrestling
Ashraf M. M. Elgharabaly
Mohamed I. A. Mohamed
Karam M. G. Ibraheem
Hasan I. M. Ibraheem
Volleyball
Volleyball Team
Silver Medals
Judo
Hesham H. H. Mesbah
Basel A. Elgharabawy
Swimming
Ahmed M. M. A. Husein
Weightlifting
Esmat M. E. Ahmed
Hebat Allah A. Ibraheem
Mohamed E. E. Elnagar
Mohamed E. A. Masoud
Wrestling
Mohamed M. M. Abou Elela
Ahmed M. A. Salem
Hesham A. A. Mohamed
Bronze Medals
Boxing
Mohamed R. M. Elewa
Bakr M. A. Shoman
Judo
Ameen Elhady A. Mohamed
Islam A. A. Elshehaby
Equestrian
Kareem A. R. Elzoghby
Karate
Mohamed F. A. Abd Elhameed
Rowing
Men’s Pair
Swimming
Ahmed M. M. A. Hussein – 50m
Ahmed M. M. A. Hussein – 100m
Weightlifting
Hussein F. A. Osman
Mohamed E. E. Elnagar
Ahmed M. A. Mahmoud
Ibraheem A. M. Morsy
Wrestling
Yaser A. A. Sakr
Sahar S. I. Elsayed
Waleed N. H. Abd Elaal
Mohamoud E. A. Atteia
Saleh M. M. Emara
Egyptian National Olympic Federations
| No | National Federation | Established in | Joined international Federation in |
| 1 | Athletics | 1910 | 1912 |
| 2 | Football | 1921 | 1923 |
| 3 | Rowing | 1907 | 1925 |
| 4 | Tennis | 1923 | 1926 |
| 5 | Swimming | 1910 | 1927 |
| 6 | Boxing | 1923 | 1930 |
| 7 | Fencing | 1930 | 1930 |
| 8 | Weightlifting | 1930 | 1930 |
| 9 | Table Tennis | 1932 | 1934 |
| 10 | Basketball | 1934 | 1934 |
| 11 | Wrestling | 1934 | 1940 |
| 12 | Cycling | 1910 | 1942 |
| 13 | Equestrian | 1942 | 1942 |
| 14 | Hockey | 1943 | 1943 |
| 15 | Gymnastics | 1936 | 1946 |
| 16 | Shooting | 1950 | 1951 |
| 17 | Yachting | 1953 | 1953 |
| 18 | Volleyball | 1949 | 1954 |
| 19 | Handball | 1957 | 1960 |
| 20 | Judo | 1962 | 1965 |
| 21 | Modern pentathlon | 1975 | 1976 |
| 22 | Taekwendo | 1975 | 1978 |
| 23 | Badminton | 1991 | 1995 |
| 24 | Archery | 1989 | 1995 |
Egypt and the Pan-Arab Games
Egypt has participated in the Pan Arab Games seven times, with great success. The Pan-Arab Games are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. The first Games were held in 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt. Intended to be held every four years since, political turmoil as well as financial difficulties has made the event an unstable one. Women were first allowed to compete in 1985. The 11th games will be held in Egypt in 2007.
Egypt leads the overall Arab Games table followed by Morocco, Syria, Algeria and Tunisia, and it managed to maintain its dominance of the medal tally in the 10th Games held in Algeria in 2004.
| Sports | Number of athletes | Number of Medals | ||||||
| Men | Women | Total | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | ||
| 1 | Swimming | 6 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 36 |
| 2 | Gymnastics | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | Wrestling | 8 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 4 | Weightlifting | 8 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 23 |
| 5 | Volley ball | 12 | 12 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 6 | Table tennis | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
| 7 | Boxing | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 8 | Taekwendo | 7 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 9 | Soft ball | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | |
| 10 | Karate | 6 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| 11 | Kick boxing | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 12 | Basket ball | 12 | 12 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 13 | Chess | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 14 | Rowing | 6 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 15 | Shooting | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 16 | Fencing | 9 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 17 | Judo | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 18 | Cycling | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| 19 | Athletics (field & track) | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Total | 114 | 46 | 160 | 81 | 41 | 48 | 170 |
Egypt and the All-Africa Games
The Idea of a Pan African Game was conceived as far back as 1920 by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics. This ideal was met with opposition from the colonial powers, wary of the unifying aspect of sport among African people. Their independence was denied.
Attempts to host the games in Algiers (1925) and Alexandria (1928) failed, despite considerable preparations taken by coordinators. Donations from the IOC’s (International Olympic Committee) first African member, Greek- Born Egyptian sprinter Angelo Bolanaki, made it possible to erect a stadium, but the games failed and were set back for three decades.
In the early 60’s the Friendship Games were held amongst the French-speaking countries in Africa. The first host countries was Madagascar (1960) and then Ivory Coast (1961). Before the third games were held in Senegal (1963), a conference of African Ministers of Youth and Sport was held in Paris (1962). They decided that the games would henceforth become the Pan African Games, as there was already a few English-speaking countries participating.
In July 1965 the first All Africa Games were held in Brazzaville, Congo. The Games were granted official recognition by the IOC as being on par with other continental Games. Some 2 500 athletes from 30 independent African States attended the event. Egypt became the first ever country to win the All African Games.
Bamako (1966) saw the birth of the SCSA (Supreme Council of Sport in Africa) that was to supervise the All Africa Games. Internal difficulties forced the cancellation of the 2nd Games in Mali (1969). Lagos stepped in as host for the Games in 1971 but was given extension until 1973 due to the Biafra war, which had just ended in Nigeria.
In 1977 the 3rd Games were scheduled to take place in Algeria, but due to technical reasons, it had to be postponed for a year and was held in 1978. This was not to be the end of the delays. The next Games were scheduled to take place in Kenya (1983), but were pushed back to 1985 and finally took place in Nairobi (1987).
That was to be the last of the delays and since then the four-year Olympic rhythm has not missed a beat, with stops in Cairo, Harare, and soon in Johannesburg and Nigeria.
The following table lists Egypt’s achievements in the All-Africa games from 1965 to 2007:
| Session | Year | City | Medals | Order | ||
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||||
| 1st | 1965 | Brazzaville | 18 | 10 | 2 | First |
| 2nd | 1973 | Lagos | 26 | 16 | 15 | First |
| 3rd | 1978 | Algiers | 1 | Withdrew | ||
| 4th | 1987 | Nairobi | 47 | 28 | 26 | First |
| 5th | 1991 | Cairo | 92 | 46 | 50 | First |
| 6th | 1995 | Harare | 59 | 41 | 51 | Second |
| 7th | 1999 | Johannesburg | 54 | 60 | 46 | Third |
| 8th | 2003 | Abuja | 80 | 62 | 72 | First |
| 9th | 2007 | Algiers | 74 | 63 | 60 | First |
Football achievements
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) was founded in 1921 and joined the International Federation of Football (FIFA) in 1923.
Egypt played a central role in the establishment of the Confederation of African Football.
Egypt participated in the World Football Cup Championship in 1934 and 1990.
In 2006, Egypt won the African Cup Championship for the fifth time after defeating Cote-d’Ivoire in the play-offs. The same year saw al-Ahly win the Super Cup and the African League Cup.
Handball achievements
The Egyptian Handball Federation (EHF) was founded in 1957 and joined the International Handball Federation in 1960.
In 1993, the Egyptian national junior team made a remarkable achievement, winning the world championship for the first time in Egyptian history.
Egypt ranked sixth in the world championship in Iceland in 1995.
In the Olympic Games of 1996, Egypt was also placed sixth and maintained its standing in the world championship in Japan in 1997.
Volleyball achievements
The Egyptian Volleyball Federation (EVF) was founded in 1949 and joined the International Volleyball Federation in 1954.
In September 2007, the Egyptian Volleyball team won 16th African Nations Cup for men played at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal’s Westville Campus Sports Centre in Durban, South Africa.
Egypt qualified to play at the World Volleyball Championship to be held in Japan in November 2007 and the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the sole Arab and African representative.
Weightlifting
Egypt’s weightlifters participated on the World Championship held in Thailand in September, which qualified 15 Egyptian weightlifters to represent their country in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Rowing
The Egyptian Rowing Federation (ERF) was founded in 1907 joined the International Volleyball Federation in 1925.
Egypt came in 9th place in International Rowing Championship in Germany thus qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Squash
Egyptian Squash players won the International Open Squash Championship in the UK in June 2006.
In 2005, Amr Shabana won the World Open Men Championship in 2003 in Pakistan and in 2005 in Hong Kong.
Bodybuilding
In 2006, Egypt hosted and won the 7th Open African Bodybuilding Championship and the 4th Junior Bodybuilding Championship, after the national team grabbed 6 Golds and 6 Silvers.
Karate
In 2006, Egypt’s Karate team won 7 medals (2 Silvers and 5 Bronzes) in the International Championship hosted by Finland.
Gymnastics
Egypt won a Bronze medal in the International Championship of Gymnastics held in Belgium in May 2006.
Wrestling
Egypt won the African Wrestling Championship held in South Africa. Egyptian athletes grabbed medals in free-style wrestling and another 7 in Greco-Roman Wrestling.
Swimming
The Egyptian junior team won 44 medals (15 Golds, 16 Silvers and 13 Bronzes) in the 2007 Mediterranean Games.
Boxing
Egypt rank-ordered 2nd in the Arab Boxing Championship held in Tunisia in February 2007.
Egypt won Africa’s Fifth Region Boxing Championship held in Cairo on April 11-14.
Egyptian boxers reaped nine Golds in flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, light welterweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight and super heavyweight, and two bronzes in light flyweight and lightweight.
Table Tennis
Egypt won the 16th African Table Tennis Championship for Juniors held in January in Tunisia.
