The 2012 Olympic Games in London…from a theatrical and energy-filled entry of the opening ceremonies, to the most memorable athletes to come. It is a moment of status, where each nation gets the opportunity to prove, as Michael Jackson would put it, who's bad?!
And now we move on to Egypt. Ok, so we get the gist already. Yes, we all know. Here in Egypt, football is king! Who can ever forget the early phase of the Olympic Games, when crowds of Egyptians gathered in front of the television watching as Egypt battled against one of the greatest football teams in human history, Brazil! Yet, such a reputation seemed to be of no concern to the Egyptian team, in spite of being down 3-0. But then it happened…the reigns of magical powers began to take flight in Mohamed Aboutrika and Mohamed Salah. Their Superman strength was presented! And Boom!
Scoring not one, but two goals! Despite Egypt's loss, the sounds of victory were heard, in its own right for Egypt's ability to stir a shock in the powerful "Goliath" (Brazil).
Now, that is what I would call a real example of the phrase "giving them a run for their money."
And as the Egyptian men's national team continued to increase their popularity, not only with their countrymen and women (yes girls, I wouldn't dare leave you out?), Egyptians from other sports seemed to serve as the "invisible stepchildren," swept away by the popularity of their big brother *sighs!* Outside of football, there is a whole string of sports that Egyptian athletes have represented in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Let's take Esmat Ahmed or Saad Ahmed Mohamed, for example, in weightlifting. Or better yet, what of the worlds of boxing, fencing, gymnastics, and even track and field? And for Pete's sake, how can we ever forget silver (2012) and gold (2004) medal winner Karam Gaber (wrestling), and silver medalist, fencer Alaaeldin Abouelkassem?! Ok, so these areas have not traditionally been strongholds for Egypt, and of course the disqualifications of gymnast Sherine Ahmed El Zeiny, and Salma El-Sayed did not gives hopes of Egypt being a powerhouse in the sport, for this year's Olympic games.
However, that is not to say there should not be a "look-out" for the next Olympic Games with Egypt as a potential big name! And let's face it folks…for not being very much supported in comparison to "Big Brother," I think they have done a pretty good job representing their country. It is still important even if only two Egyptians cared to watch them during their performances!
To all of you die-hard fans who continued to support your athletes (no, I am not talking about you football fans), in their worst and best performances, just keep at it. With just a touch of those magic, Egyptian love and support in due time, Egypt will take its name as a world leader in the other athletic areas. Yes, folks and I do mean in the Olympic Games. And it will be YOU ALL who can honestly say that you were the original, die-hard fans, who stood by Cinderella's squad!
Salma Mahmoud El Said Mohamed performing her floor routine in the Women’s Qualification Round of the 2012 Olympic Games in London
2012 Olympic Egyptian Men’s Football pose for the camera
Egypt’s 2012 National Olympic Team
Sherine Ahmed El Zeiny performing her balance beam routine in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Team Qualification at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Egypt’s Karam Gaber Ebrahim, on the far left, winning the silver medal in the Greco-Roman wrestling event at the 2012 Olympics
Fencer, Alaa El Din Abou El Kassem winning the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games
Hamada Mohamed
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 14th, 2012 at 1:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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