The Encyclopaedia on Egypt’s Olympic and Sports History: a legacy for the Centennial of the Egyptian Olympic Committee

Dr. Jacques Rogge , President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), stated that the International Olympic Committee’s challenge is to ‘use the new digital revolution to communicate the power and joy of sport between Olympic Games’. For The Egyptian Olympic Committee this means a set of explicit connections which link Egyptian Olympic movement with the Olympic
movement, sporting triumphs with cultural achievements, personal reminiscences with official documents and local projects
with global initiatives.
Dr. Rogge raised the issue of how do you define the ‘legacy’ and in one of his lectures he informed the audience that without information, without documents, without photographs or moving images, without physical objects and virtual memories, there will be no ‘legacy’ and none of Jacques Rogge’s ‘extensive knowledge sharing that is an important hallmark, as well as a legacy of the
Olympic Movement itself.’

The Egyptian Olympic committee (EOC) recognises the need to support such accurate definition of legacy and in April 2009, he EOC made a joint submission to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Solidarity (OS) committing themselves to ensuring that there will be a record of a bi-lingual Arabic-English Encyclopaedia on Egypt’s
Olympic and Sports History.
On the occasion of celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, EOC published The Encyclopaedia on Egypt’s Olympic and Sports History to the entire Olympic Family. The EOC was established in 1910 and joined the International Olympic Committee in the same year. This means that Egypt is one of the oldest countries to join the Olympic Movement coming in 14th place before a lot of other African, Asian and European countries.

The Encyclopaedia, which the EOC offer as part of the celebration of the 100th Anniversary, represents the cultural and historical framework of this ceremony as it contains a fully-fledged presentation of the Egyptian Olympic History through displaying Egypt’s participation at the Olympic Games, as well as the Regional Games (African – Mediterranean –Arab). The Encyclopaedia also demonstrates the various Boards of Directors who were at the helm of the EOC since its inception in 1910 until 2012, in an attempt to give tribute to all those who participated and are still participating in the development and progress of the Olympic Movement
The Encyclopaedia on Egypt’s Olympic and Sports History: From Ancient Egyptians to contemporary Egyptian Olympic movement, journeys from the early Egyptian past to the present, give readers a compelling grasp of the historical evolution of Egyptian sporting practices.
This text provides readers with insights that will allow them to develop new and alternative perspectives, examine sport as a social and cultural phenomenon, generate a better understanding of current sport practices and consider future developments in sport in Egyptian life.

This expansive text and the historical photos are the most comprehensive resource on sport history, providing coverage of sport by historical periods Unlike previous sport history texts, The Encyclopaedia on Egypt’s Olympic and Sports History examines how women, minorities and ethnic and religious groups have influenced Egypt’s sporting culture. This gives readers a broader knowledge of the complexities of sport, health and play in the Egyptian experience and how historical factors, such as gender, ethnicity, race and religion provide a more complete understanding of sports in Egyptian history.                                                 The easy-to-follow material is divided into six chronological chapters starting with Ancient Egyptians and the Olympic Games and ending with views and memories of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, making it ideal for researchers, sport historians, members of the Olympic family, sports media and sport literature. The Encyclopaedia on Egypt’s Olympic and Sports History is unique in its level of detail, broad time frame and focus on sports and the evolving definitions of physical activity and games. In addition, excerpts from primary documents provide first-hand accounts that will not only inform and fascinate readers but also provide a well-rounded perspective on the historical development of Egyptian sport.

The History proved that Ancient Greeks adopted the idea of sport from the Ancient Egyptians as the Pharaonic Civilization preceded them. The Greeks developed the idea and added new aspects as part of the evaluation which occurred in all fields.
In this framework, the encyclopaedia presents a collection of pictures of Paranoiac Temples, which show that Egypt is the origin of many sports and these sports spread to other countries. Pharaohs have practiced these sports according to rules that are still
used up until today or have been amended after it reached other places. Contents of the Encyclopaedia on Egypt’s Olympic
and Sports History: Chapter 1: Ancient Egyptians and the Olympic Games, Chapter 2: Egyptian Olympic Committee, Chapter 3: International Olympic Committee, Chapter 4: Olympic Games 1896 – 2008, Chapter 5: Regional Games (Egyptian Ideas ), All
Africa Games 1929 – 2007, Mediterranean Games 1951 – 2009, Pan Arab Games 1953 – 2007, Chapter 6: Views and Memories of the Egyptian Olympic Committee.