Ambassador of Egypt sees South African cyclists off to Cairo
25 February 2021
Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt in South Africa, Ambassador Ahmed El Fadly, held an outdoor reception on 24 February at the premises of the Embassy of Egypt in Pretoria for a number of qualified South African cyclists participating in the two African championships, the African Road and Track championships which will take place in Cairo in March, 2021.
During the reception, El Fadly indicated the importance of the role of sports in people to people relationships and its contribution to consolidating the values of tolerance, cooperation and mutual respect. "Sports play a vital role for both the individual and for the society as whole, pushing the limits of human achievement." El Fadly said.
"Sports bring people together and contribute to the integration of cultures. The tournament is an opportunity for South African youth to get to know Egypt and its civilization" El Fadly said. "Ancient Egyptians played several sports that form the basis of many that exist today. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi attaches great importance to sports. He participated in the Peace Marathon, which was organized on the sidelines of the World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2018. Egypt also recently hosted the World Handball Championship, which was vastly successful despite being held in challenging circumstances given the global Covid 19 pandemic." El Fadly added.
The African Road and Track championships in Cairo will have 132 participants from 10 countries, which include, in addition to Egypt and South Africa, cyclists from Algeria, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Benin, Ethiopia and Côte d'Ivoire. The track Championships will begin on March 11th in the Olympic Village in 6th of October City, and the African Track Championship will be begin on March 14th at “Cairo Stadium”. This is the third edition of the tournament to be held in Egypt. South Africa has dominated the event before, winning more medals than any other African nation.
At the end of the reception, Ambassador Ahmed El Fadly expressed his best wishes for success to the South Africa team participating in the African Road and Track Championships, calling on the contestants to share their experience, expertise and the events of the period that they will spend in Egypt with their friends and colleagues in South Africa when they return.
Embassy of Egypt in South Africa