The death of para table tennis player Samir El-Sayed El-Tantawy on Wednesday evening, 24 September 2025, during the national championship at Port Said Sports City’s indoor hall has sparked anger among athletes with disabilities. Players blame neglect and facilities that they say were unsuitable for people with mobility impairments and their equipment.
The 51-year-old died after a sudden medical emergency. He experienced severe chest pain and difficulty breathing after his match and was taken to hospital by ambulance. His death prompted wider questions about conditions at the tournament. Egyptian national team player Fayza Mahmoud said the air conditioning repeatedly stopped during competition, affecting players’ health and performance and causing several fainting episodes that required medical attention.
In a statement, the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation expressed sorrow, described the death as an act of fate and said medical staff had responded quickly. Al-Azima Club in Ismailia also issued condolences to his family and teammates.
Para table tennis player Nourhan Mahmoud El-Husseini tells Zawia3 that the air conditioning was switched on only briefly before being turned off, despite the large number of athletes exerting themselves in the heat. She says players suffered breathing difficulties and believes these conditions contributed to her teammate’s death. Her account is an allegation about the circumstances, rather than an established medical finding.
El-Husseini says players had not encountered similarly poor conditions at previous tournaments in Cairo or Ismailia, where facilities and ventilation were better. El-Tantawy had completed the required medical examinations and submitted them to the federation before the championship, she adds. On that basis, she doubts he had an existing health problem. These examinations cost each athlete more than EGP 1,000, paid out of pocket.
She also accuses federation executive director Hisham Abou Hashish of calling the athletes “crazy and hypocrites exploiting their disabilities” in front of around 200 players shortly after their teammate’s death, when, she says, they expected support rather than insults.
“The toilets at Port Said Sports City are unsuitable for wheelchair users. Their doors are too narrow for most chairs, forcing some players to resort to humiliating alternatives such as nappies or water bottles.”
El-Husseini says repairs began only after the death, when a plumber was brought in to widen doors and make what she describes as superficial changes to avoid accountability. Players recorded the work on video, she says.
The hall’s floor was slippery and impeded movement, while glare through the open doors disrupted concentration, she adds. In her account, the playing environment was neither safe nor appropriate for a sport requiring the precision of table tennis.
“At tournaments we need safe flooring, effective air conditioning, accessible toilets, designated prayer areas and halls close to places where we can eat. These are basic rights,” she says.
Most clubs also fail to provide basic equipment such as bats, balls and modern tables, forcing players to buy supplies themselves despite high costs, she adds. She describes limited support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and poor facilities at para sports clubs.
Economic pressures compound these difficulties. El-Husseini says the Takaful and Karama support received by players is very small, no more than about EGP 1,000 in the cases she describes. Jobs available under the five per cent disability employment quota do not meet demand, and some are unsuitable for applicants’ impairments.
Wheelchair breakdowns are another substantial burden. A battery can cost around EGP 4,000, she says, potentially keeping a player away from training for months. Despite these obstacles, athletes remain committed to their sport and value tournaments as opportunities to meet teammates and achieve results. What happened in Port Said, she says, was shocking and demoralising.
“Inhumane” conditions
Sameh Eid, a member of Egypt’s para table tennis team and a Paralympic medallist, identifies inaccessible sporting facilities as a major obstacle. Many halls cannot accommodate wheelchairs, and unsuitable toilets place athletes, particularly women, in distressing situations. He says the recent Port Said championship exposed these failures especially starkly.
Eid tells Zawia3 that the hall had no functioning air conditioning despite holding more than 220 male and female players, resulting in breathing difficulties and fainting. He also alleges that the ambulance on site lacked first-aid equipment.
“The federation’s executive director mocked us and used insulting language. We have filed official reports against the federation over neglect and bullying,” he says. “We want to leave the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation and return to the umbrella of the Paralympic Committee. More than 12 para sports clubs support that demand.”
He calls on the sports minister to order an urgent investigation and hold those responsible for negligence accountable. He also urges support for El-Tantawy’s family, including his children, who are at different stages of education.
Sports Law No. 71 of 2017 defines the Egyptian Paralympic Committee as a sports body with private legal personality, bringing together para sports federations and Olympic sports federations included in the Paralympic programme, with responsibility for organising and developing sporting activities for people with disabilities in Egypt.
Eid says specialist equipment, particularly wheelchairs, is difficult to obtain. He still uses the chair he took to the London 2012 Paralympic Games because the federation has not provided a replacement. Spare parts and batteries are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive, preventing many athletes from training and competing amid already difficult economic circumstances.
He still uses the wheelchair he took to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Replacement parts and batteries can be unavailable or too expensive to afford.
Ministry bonuses are governed by official regulations and paid for achievements at major championships, Eid explains. Athletes outside national teams lack financial support, while their clubs have limited resources. He says gaps in funding and support between disabled and non-disabled athletes became especially clear after Tokyo 2020.
The para table tennis team lacks essential medical support, including a sports doctor, nutritionist and massage specialist to assist recovery, he adds, making injuries harder to manage. He describes para athletes as marginalised, competing in less-equipped halls while non-disabled athletes receive considerably more funding and sponsorship.
Fayza Mahmoud offers a similar account of what she calls serious neglect and disregard for players’ dignity within the federation. She says the same inaccessible facilities caused problems at three championships held in Port Said over no more than four months, without an effective response.
“The toilets could not accommodate wheelchairs. The air conditioning would run for half an hour and then be switched off, leaving players struggling to breathe,” she tells Zawia3. She alleges that the ambulance stationed at the venue refused to take emergency cases to hospital because it had to remain at its post, and that its paramedic did not even have a headache painkiller.
Mahmoud says the tournament director was absent and the federation’s executive director insulted athletes, accusing them of pursuing personal agendas and having psychological problems. After El-Tantawy’s death, she says, the air conditioning was turned on and toilets repaired, but attempts to film the work led to confrontations. Players filed official reports concerning these incidents, she adds.
Despite these obstacles, Egypt has accumulated 190 Paralympic medals through Paris 2024: 51 gold, 71 silver and 68 bronze, placing it first among Arab countries by total medals.
Are sports facilities meeting accessibility standards?
Ministry of Youth and Sports spokesperson Mohamed El-Shazly says the ministry has applied an accessibility code to new construction and renovation projects since late 2019 and early 2020, under instructions from Minister Ashraf Sobhy. The requirements cover pitches, sports halls, swimming pools, toilets and other facilities.
The code sets engineering standards to make buildings usable by people with disabilities, including accessible routes, ramps, lifts and suitable toilets. Egypt’s Law No. 10 of 2018 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also provides for accessibility in public facilities.
Egyptian Code 601 addresses outdoor spaces and buildings. Its requirements include suitable entrances, corridors, lifts and ramps; designated parking; adequate door widths; accessible toilets; and safe, non-slip flooring. Accessibility measures have also been incorporated into transport projects, including metro and rail services.
El-Shazly tells Zawia3 that the ministry oversees around 5,000 youth centres and 1,200 clubs, which are being upgraded under the code. New facilities are not handed over unless they comply, he says, while existing buildings must meet the same requirements as they undergo renovation or maintenance.
More than 3,000 youth centres and approximately 80 per cent of clubs already comply, according to the spokesperson, with work on the remainder proceeding gradually.
He says major stadiums and indoor halls meet accessibility requirements because they host official continental and international competitions and could not receive international approval otherwise. He cites Cairo Stadium, which has hosted international para sports events.
Asked about the Port Said tournament, El-Shazly says matches took place in older facilities pending the opening of the new Port Said stadium, which he describes as 90 per cent complete and fully designed to meet the accessibility code.
He says the minister established a committee to check compliance with medical requirements during the tournament, and that its examination found all required provisions in place.
“The ministry has issued strict medical regulations requiring any sporting competition to be cancelled immediately if an ambulance equipped with doctors and paramedics is not available, with the offending body referred to the Public Prosecution,” he says.
El-Shazly maintains that these measures have reduced sudden deaths at sports venues. He puts the number over the preceding six or seven years at three to five and describes it as very low compared with some European countries. These figures and the international comparison are his account; the article does not establish a comparable independent dataset.
He describes Egypt as highly committed to medical and procedural safeguards for athletes, while acknowledging that some emergencies remain beyond organisers’ control. The decisive question, he argues, is whether the required procedures and standards were followed.
Who is responsible for implementation?
Khalil Mohamed Khalil, head of the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s Central Administration for Persons with Disabilities, says responsibility for applying accessibility standards rests with the relevant ministries and bodies, in coordination with the ministries of Local Development and Planning.
Clubs and sports facilities, for example, fall within the responsibility of their management and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. “Each ministry is responsible for making its buildings and facilities accessible to people with disabilities, as required by law,” he says.
“Code 601 is the reference for adapting buildings and spaces to the needs of people with disabilities. Applying it to new facilities is feasible and mandatory, while older buildings remain a challenge requiring gradual solutions.”
Responsibility for prosthetic devices and mobility aids is shared among several institutions, Khalil explains, including the Health Ministry, the Healthcare Authority and health insurance bodies. The Social Solidarity Ministry also provides some devices and aids through civil-society organisations.
In remarks reported on 27 March 2023, a Social Solidarity Ministry representative cited an estimated 10.7 million people with disabilities in Egypt and said 1,141,548 integrated services cards had been issued. These are figures reported in 2023, rather than a new count for 2025.
A 2022 survey by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics put the proportion of people reporting functional difficulties, from some difficulty to complete inability, at 11 per cent. The rate was 11.4 per cent among females and 10.6 per cent among males, and higher in urban areas, at 12.1 per cent, than rural areas, at 10.1 per cent.
Manal Hanafy, head of the Social Solidarity Ministry’s Central Administration for Development and Investment, says accessibility standards must apply across facilities, including sports grounds, halls and toilets. The code specifies suitable entrances and exits and toilet dimensions that allow wheelchair users to enter and use facilities independently.
Citing a global disability estimate of 15 per cent in her interview, Hanafy argues that these needs must be considered in all new buildings and transport services. Some metro and rail lines have already been adapted, she says, while smaller buses and minibuses also need boarding aids to make access easier.
These facilities are not a favour: they are a fundamental right, Hanafy stresses.
She says the state is working on a comprehensive plan to address difficulties associated with prosthetic devices and mobility aids, and expresses hope for a fairer future.
El-Tantawy’s death has brought longstanding complaints about infrastructure, medical provision, equipment and institutional support into focus. Egypt’s para athletes continue to achieve international success, yet the absence of a safe and dignified sporting environment can threaten their ability to continue.
Between athletes’ testimony and demands for accountability, and officials’ assurances that accessibility and medical standards are being observed, the central challenge remains turning laws and regulations into conditions that protect athletes’ lives, rights and dignity.
