- Title: Visually impaired karate instructor in Egypt gives disability the chop
- Date: 6th September 2017
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED KARATE INSTRUCTOR, SABRI ATTIYA EL SAYED, AND STUDENT WARMING UP VARIOUS OF EL-SAYED TRAINING WITH BLIND STUDENT VARIOUS OF TROPHIES AND MEDALS ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VISUALLY IMPAIRED KARATE INSTRUCTOR, SABRI ATTIYA EL-SAYED, SAYING: "As someone who challenges his disability of being blind, I would like to say that I am not disabled. Everyone doubts me and even suspects that I can see. But, I really am just like everyone else, there is no difference between me and other people. I've played a lot of games. I played dominoes with my friends, I used to swim, I did bodybuilding, and I tried judo. I also played football with people who can see and with those who are not blind." VARIOUS OF KARATE INSTRUCTOR, MOHAMED MAHMOUD EL-AKARY, TEACHING DISABLED STUDENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) KARATE INSTRUCTOR, MOHAMED MAHMOUD EL-AKARY, SAYING: "Interacting with Sabry is much easier than interacting with other people. This is because Sabry wants to succeed and as a result he has taken the task as a challenge. He really wants to succeed and challenge the entire world. As a result, by pure chance, during the 2014 World Championship in Germany, he ended up competing against two people who can see, who were not blind, and of course this was the first championship and he didn't rank. However, had he been competing against other blind participants the same as him, he would have won a gold medal for Egypt." VARIOUS OF EL-SAYED PERFORMING KARATE MOVES
- Embargoed: 20th September 2017 16:35
- Keywords: Egypt sports karate instrcutor blind Egyptian disabled visually impaired
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Karate,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0016XGHLQT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Egyptian Sabri Attiya, a visually impaired karate instructor who has been teaching young disabled athletes for nearly a decade, says he believes he is no different from anybody else.
The 37 year-old began practising karate back in 2007 and was the first visually impaired Egyptian to do so in several decades.
He says he does not see himself as any different from others and does not feel disabled.
"As someone who challenges his disability of being blind, I would like to say that I am not disabled. Everyone doubts me and even suspects that I can see. But, I really am just like everyone else, there is no difference between me and other people. I've played a lot of games. I played dominoes with my friends, I used to swim, I did bodybuilding, and I tried judo. I also played football with people who can see and with those who are not blind," he said.
Attiya initially practised bodybuilding in 1997 and did so for three years, but stopped because he did not enjoy the rigourous nutrition plans associated with the sport.
Attiya turned to karate and quickly began moving up the ranks, acquiring a black belt after undergoing intensive training with his instructor Mohamed Mahmoud el-Akary.
He has won several local competitions and took part in the 2014 World Karate Championships in Germany but, his coach says, he didn't rank because of his disability.
"Interacting with Sabry is much easier than interacting with other people. This is because Sabry wants to succeed and as a result he has taken the task as a challenge. He really wants to succeed and challenge the entire world. As a result, by pure chance, during the 2014 World Championship in Germany, he ended up competing against two people who can see, who were not blind, and of course this was the first championship and he didn't rank. However, had he been competing against other blind participants the same as him, he would have won a gold medal for Egypt," el-Akary said.
El-Akary says he helps him to prepare for tournaments by simulating the noise generated by the audience, significantly challenging Attiya to use his senses.
Attiya continues to help train young disabled athletes and says he is determined to one day represent his country in international tournaments. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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