Eng, Hassan Sakr the President of the National Sports Council (NSC) is not only the highest governmental functionary in the field of sports he is also known for his bold, brave and decisive actions and his hopes for the future of the sports sector in Egypt. Sports & Fitness magazine was keen to conduct an in-depth interview with him in such an important issue to explore his thoughts.

Tell us first about the involvement of the NSC in the preparation of the Egyptian teams which will participate in the Youth Olympic Games, (YOG)?
We are giving the YOG our full attention and we care, not only because at the end these are Olympic Games, but also because the young people who will participate in such an international and high level of competition will gain great experience and they will be good potential champions in the main Olympic Games afterwards.
Several months ago we established a joint technical and supervisory committee between the NSC and the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) to arrange the procedures of preparation of the teams, the required funding and to make sure that all qualified athletes and their federation meeting were the standards and regulations of the organising committee of the YOG especially as this is the first time these games to be contested and they have different standards and regulations. We were also involved in authorising the necessary preparation plans and funds for the different teams and athletes.

What are your expectations in terms of medals achievement?
A few weeks ago, most of the Egyptian teams participated in the African Sports Games which was organized by the ANOCA in Morocco whereEgypt came in second place which is considered a good sign. Also considering the fact that youth and junior Egyptian athletes in general achieve good international results I would expect good result in the YOG.

Do you agree with me that young Egyptian athletes lose their chances of improving their international level when they grow up and enter college?
To a certain extent, yes: The main reason is that after finishing high school they have to study hard in college to guarantee a good career but the real problems start when they graduate from college especially when they need to devote their time to work and to earn money to marry and live.

What is the NSC doing to help those athletes to overcome such problems?
We are working, hard side by side with the Ministry of Education and we are lucky to have an active and supportive Minster of Education such as Dr.Hany Helal who is also the president of the University Sports Union, we are working to activate the university
championships and its increase its level of competition more.
To encourage the athletes to keep practicing sport during their college years next year we will start a new sports scholarship programme which give the college students who are champions in sport a monthly payment of LE500 as long as he or she is still winning and maintaining a high level. We are not doing only that and still leaving them to face a conflict of exams and how to arrange their time. We established a protocol together with the Ministry of Education years ago to give students who are participating with the national teams either in camp training or in an international tournament the ability to change or postpone his or her exams without losing any rights and opportunities.

I would like to use this opportunity to ask you about the Egyptian Bid to host the 2017 Mediterranean Games in the city of Alexandria. How was this idea established and how happy you are with the presented file and representation?
Almost two years ago when President Mubarak was opening the newly built Borg El Arab Stadium just few kilometres away from Alexandria, the Minister of Defence was confirming to the President and to the Prime Minster that the Armed Forces will continue and build a complete Olympic complex built to the latest international standards and that Borg El Arab stadium is just the seed to start this complex. At that time the Egyptian Olympic Committee showed an interest in hosting the Mediterranean games so I offered the prime minister the idea of entering the bid for the 2017 Mediterranean games and he suggested it to the President who always supports sports, and the idea went through.
Regarding the evaluation of Egypt Bid file; we chose one of the best companies in the world which is specialized in such missions, a German company who did the file for South Africa for their 2010 bid and also did the file for Sydney Olympic games. They are very experienced. They worked hard for several months to produce the file in an excellent shape.

Who is financing the cost of the bid?
As this event in the long run will benefit the tourism industry, the Ministry of Tourism is covering the bid cost.  

Can you tell us about the executive committee of the bid?
We have Dr. Abdel Karim Darwish who is a well known public figure as well as a well known sports figure. He is one of the former presidents of the Egyptian Olympic Committee and has a wide range of experience and contacts. We have Dr.Zahi Hawas, the President of the Supreme Council of Antiquities at the Ministry of Culture who also enjoys excellent contacts and is a well known representative of Egypt and its great history and culture. This in addition to well respected sports figures such as Ismael El Shafie who is a well known former tennis champion and a former president of the tennis federation and we have the Olympic judo champion, Mohamed Rashwan and we have Omar Samra, the only Egyptian ever who climbed Mount Everest. It is also important to mention that the bid committee’s technical consultant is General Mounier Sabet who is a former president of the Egyptian Olympic Committee and a member of the International Olympic Committee and most importantly he is the vice president of the Mediterranean games committee.

In your opinion what are the main strong points of the Egyptian bid?
First, Alexandria is a city that already has a great reputation and a well known history in the world in general and in the Mediterranean in particular.Second, the games started in Alexandria in 1951 and after so many years it somehow still has strong links and roots. Third, the idea of not only counting on the existing facilities in the city but rather building a whole new Olympic complex with new halls and courts is deserving of attention.
Forth, the hotel capacity now in Alexandria is 4800 rooms and what is required for the officials, guests and media is 3500 rooms. This is in addition to the fact that more than 65 percent of the required infrastructure is already in place. Fifth, Egypt has many good and qualified people in the field of sports who gained their skill and experience with many years of hard work on the regional and international level considering the fact that Egypt successfully hosted many big regional and international sports tournaments and events.During the latest FIFA World Cup in South Africa, FIFA president Joseph Blatter several times expressed his admiration of Egyptian facilities and its organising level.
Last but not least, we have the full support of the government of Egypt and all its ministries to make these games really remarkable and a truly successful.