Egyptians set Middle East standards

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Farida Osman.

    Egyptian swimmers made history at the World Aquatics Championships in Russia last week as they left the meet having smashed more national records there than any other country.

    Team Egypt provided a slew of standout performances with 19-year-old Ahmed Akram claiming fourth in the 1500m final and 20-year-old Farida Osman placing fifth in the 50m butterfly shattering her own African record twice.

    Every other swimmer in the nine-strong squad either swam a PB or set a new national record.

    It was the strongest showing by any Arab team at the meet and it prompted many to wonder how Egypt managed to put together such a solid roster and what it would take for other nations from the region to follow suit. It’s no secret that swimming was never a top sport in the Middle East, with football hogging the headlines, and many cultural issues preventing women from taking up swimming competitively.

    Tunisian Oussama El Mellouli is the most successful Arab swimmer having won world and Olympic titles in the pool and open water. But his achievements stood alone, with no real consequences in the Middle East. Which makes the case of this Egyptian team all the more remarkable, because there is a host of young, talented swimmers coming through at the same time, leading what looks like a real swimming revolution in the region.

    It started when Osman became a world junior champion in the 50m fly in 2011 before making the final at the 2013 Worlds in Barcelona. Akram then placed fifth in the 800m at Junior Worlds in Dubai in 2013, before taking gold at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing in 2014. It’s been one big result after another ever since.

    Their achievements have been resonating with the rest of the Arab world. Alia Al Shamsi, the UAE’s first female competitive swimmer, idolises Osman while last week 10-year-old Bahraini Alzain Tareq became the youngest-ever to compete at Worlds.

    As Arab countries are opening up to the idea of fielding female swimmers, it is Osman who is inspiring these young women to take the plunge. A key factor is that all these Egyptian swimmers have trained in Egypt. There was nothing special about the conditions they grew up in. What it took was discipline, decent coaching and self-belief.

    Imagine if that attitude propagated to a place like the UAE or Qatar where the facilities are stellar and the federations have more funds.

    Another key point is the transition from junior to senior swimming. Osman, Akram and their teammates haven’t fallen through the cracks after graduating from high school – something that happens so often here. Why? They chose to leave Egypt to attend university in the United States where they received scholarships to swim for their college teams.

    – FOLLOW: Live cricket scores around the world
    – Five Ligue 1 youngsters to watch this season
    – VIDEO: Ronaldo goes undercover as homeless man

    Osman trains at Berkeley alongside four-time Olympic champion Missy Franklin while Akram is in South Carolina. Universities in Arab countries put little emphasis on sport, and balancing your life between training and studying is virtually impossible. Having that balance is very achievable in the US which means swimmers will continue to improve instead of seeing their progress plateau.

    Training with other world class swimmers also helps and the team spirit experienced in college makes all the difference, especially that many Arab swimmers tend to train alone when they are back home, where there aren’t that many others who can compete at their level.

    Competing in the NCAA gave the swimmers extra confidence as it proved to them they can hold their own against the best in America.

    Now is the perfect time for Arab countries to look hard at what Egypt is achieving in the pool and attempt to replicate that success. With Dubai and Doha regularly hosting international meets at their facilities, the region can work together on moving the sport forward. 

    Recommended