- Title: EGYPT: Egypt's Olympic boxing hopefuls preparing for the summer games in China
- Date: 26th May 2008
- Summary: (MER1) CAIRO, EGYPT (MAY 20, 2008) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTRE WITH EGYPTIAN AND OLYMPIC FLAGS FLYING OUTSIDE CLOSE UP OF OLYMPIC FLAG GYM WHERE BOXERS ARE TRAINING TRAINER WORKING WITH FEMALE BOXER WOMEN BOXERS SITTING ON BENCH PUTTING GLOVES ON BOXERS TRAINING OLYMPIC BOXER, RAMADAN ABDUL GHAFAR, PRACTISING ON PUNCHING BAG RAMADAN ABDUL GHAFAR, SITTING IN RING, PUTTING GLOVES ON VARIOUS OF ABDUL GHAFAR PRACTISING WITH TRAINER IN RING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OLYMPIC BOXER, RAMADAN ABDUL GHAFAR, SAYING: "And God willing we will be able to change the medals we received, the bronze and silver, we are going to make them gold, God willing, and we will make all Egyptians, who have been waiting for this for a long time, happy. And this year we will have a comparable achievement to Karam Gaber, but in boxing and in all the rest of the sports in the games. You can see our training and how hard everyone is working - so we have one request, and we asked the same thing in Athens, we are asking again, I don't want to swear in the name of God, but to pray from your hearts for us to succeed." BOXERS TRAINING IN RING/ OLYMPIC BOXER, HOSSAM BAKR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OLYMPIC BOXER, HOSSAM BAKR, SAYING: "Of course, the Olympic games, I haven't participated before, but I'm very familiar with them of course. I saw the games in Athens, and I watched the games in Sydney in 2000, and so of course, when I'm watching I feel as if I'm taking part myself, just as if I'm a boxer taking part." HOSSAM BAKR TRAINING IN RING VARIOUS OF BOXERS TRAINING BY HITTING GIANT TIRES WITH HAMMER OLYMPIC TRAINING COACH, DR. GHONEIM, WATCHING BOXER JUMP ROPE IN FRONT OF MIRROR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OLYMPIC TRAINING COACH, DR. GHONEIM, SAYING: "Thank God we have three players, Ramadan Abdul Ghafar, 81 kilos, Mohamad Yahya, 75 and Hossam, 69, and they have comprehensive training, and through this training they will be prepared for the Olympics. They had a training campaign in Cuba for one month and now we will be going to Morocco, and after that, God willing, their will be a training camp in Beijing for one month before the Olympics start and then we go on to the games." ABDUL GHAFAR TRAINING IN RING BOXERS TRAINING IN GYM
- Embargoed: 10th June 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA882ZSDVQ6NUTVONZBCQ1B7X3A
- Story Text: Egypt's Olympic boxing hopefuls put themselves through a daily gruelling regimen they hope will spell Olympic gold in Beijing this summer.
Within the Spartan boxing gym in the Olympic training centre in Cairo, Egypt's boxing hopefuls are put daily through a gruelling regimen they hope will spell Olympic gold in Beijing this summer.
The scant facilities are crowded with young fighting men and women but only three have secured a place in the squad that will travel to China.
While boxing continues to be one of the few Olympic and professional sports where Egyptian athletes perform relatively well, this year they are sending half as many boxers as they did to Athens in 2004, where the boxers won one silver and a bronze - their best showing since 1960, and three of Egypt's five total medals.
Ramadan Abdul Ghafar, who fights at 81kg, took part in the Athens Olympics but did not win a medal. He is determined to do better this time and hopes his six hour a day training regime and what his coach calls his best qualities, strength and patience, will see him through.
27 year-old Ramadan Abdul Ghafar has high hopes that the Egyptian contingent will outperform the 2004 team.
"And God willing we will be able to change the medals we received, the bronze and silver, we are going to make them gold, God willing, and we will make all Egyptians who have been waiting for this for a long time happy.
And this year we will have a comparable achievement to [2004 weight lifting gold medallist] Karam Gaber, but in boxing and in all the rest of the sports in the games. You can see our training and how hard everyone is working - so we have one request, and we asked the same thing in Athens, we are asking again, I don't want to swear in the name of God, but to pray from your hearts for us to succeed," he said.
For Hossam Bakr, who fights at 69 kilos, this year will be the first time he goes to the Olympics, having spent a lifetime watching the games on television.
"Of course, the Olympic games, I haven't participated before now, but I'm very familiar with them of course. I saw the games in Athens, and I watched the games in Sydney in 2000, and so of course, when I'm watching I feel as if I'm taking part myself, just as if I'm a boxer taking part."
In Egypt, as in many countries in the region, it is football rather than athletics which is the focus of funding and popular support.
So while Egyptian football clubs have world class facilities, the Olympic training centre, located in Cairo's Maadi suburb, offers the bare minimum to Egyptian athletes who will have to face the world's best in Beijing.
But boxing trainer Dr. Abdul Aziz Ghoneim says that his fighters will be ready come summer.
"Thank God we have three players, Ramadan Abdul Ghafar, 81 kilos, Mohamad Yahya, 75 and Hossam, 69, and they have comprehensive training, and through this training they will be prepared for the Olympics. They had a training campaign in Cuba for one month and now we will be going to Morocco, and after that, God willing, their will be a training camp in Beijing for one month before the Olympics start and then we go on to the games," he said.
Four years on from their best showing in nearly half a century, Egypt may be sending a smaller contingent of fighters to the Olympic games, but they have high hopes that their meticulous preparations will spell success in Beijing. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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