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A FINAL NOTE
I must admit, I was one of the people who followed the performance of Egypt’s athletes at the Beijing Olympics this August. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I never stuck with a sport long enough to truly appreciate the value of the slogan “faster, higher and stronger.” So I live vicariously through the achievements of others. Needless to say, I exuded joy on August 13, the day we won our bronze medal.
But instead of celebrating, people opted to focus on how our athletes failed to secure more medals. And sports officials began to point fingers at one another. Most amusing to me were the comments of an official from the National Sports Council, who stated that they have been preparing for the Olympics for the past three months. Three months?
Olympic medalists do not magically appear in three months, or three years for that matter. Rather, it can take a lifetime. And if your athletes don’t perform, it’s only partially their fault. How can they, when they receive little if any support from anyone: the government, sports councils, the private sector or even the people around them. In school, physical education classes are often seen as an extra study period rather than an opportunity to ingrain the love of sports in the minds of children.
Even when someone discovers their passion for a sport, as a society we don’t respect or appreciate this love. Instead, we belittle it as a waste of time that will detract from their ability to excel at school. For those who do stick with it, they take on the burden and the cost associated with dedicating themselves to competitive sport. Unless it’s football, the private sector generally remains oblivious to the benefit of supporting athletes. Such sponsorship might not give them as much publicity as supporting charity or even the Special Olympics, but it might help secure Egypt more Olympic medals and, more importantly, set a great example for younger generations.
Moreover, for those athletes who didn’t secure medals in Beijing, there is another Olympics four years down the road. Instead of pointing fingers and tearing down our athletes, let’s find out what went wrong and actually work with them and their coaches, and solicit the support of the private sector to fix it.
On a final note, this is my last issue with Business Monthly, after almost four years. It’s difficult to put into words how hard this decision was, but it’s time for me to reach higher, go faster and hopefully become a little stronger. It’s time to expand my horizons and grow as an individual and as a professional. My time at Business Monthly has been truly joyous. I told the stories of so many interesting people. I also had the pleasure to work with a great team. We have all labored for many long nights under tight deadlines, but always with a smile.
To Business Monthly, thank you for giving me the biggest privilege any journalist could have – my voice.
RÉHAB EL-BAKRY
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