{"id":17277,"date":"2025-10-01T15:34:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T13:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=17277"},"modified":"2026-10-24T15:03:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:03:40","slug":"people-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/people-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"A Para Athlete\u2019s Death Exposes Egypt\u2019s Accessibility and Sports Safety Failures"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span>death<\/span><\/a> of Paralympic table tennis player Samir El-Sayed El-Tantawi on the evening of Wednesday 24 September last, during his participation in the national table tennis championship at the covered hall of the Sports City in Port Said, provoked a state of anger and deep resentment among athletes of determination, who blamed the player’s death on negligence and on the unsuitability of the infrastructure and facilities in the city for the needs of people with motor disabilities and their prosthetic devices.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 51-year-old player <\/span>died <\/span><\/a>after suffering a sudden health crisis inside the sports hall, as he felt severe chest pains and shortness of breath after the match ended, before he was transported by ambulance to hospital, where he died from a state of coma and shortness of breath. Meanwhile, the incident <\/span>sparked <\/span><\/a>wide controversy about the conditions of the championship, after Egyptian national team player Fayza Mahmoud stated that the hall suffered from repeated interruptions of the air conditioning during the competitions, which affected the players’ performance and health and resulted in several cases of fainting that required repeated medical intervention.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an official statement, the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation <\/span>expressed <\/span><\/a>its deep sorrow at the player’s passing, affirming that what happened was fate and divine decree, while at the same time pointing to the speed with which the medical staff dealt with the case, while Al-Azima Club in Ismailia issued an official obituary for the deceased, in which it offered condolences to his family and colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paralympic table tennis player Nourhan Mahmoud El-Husseiny affirms that the air conditioners inside the hall were switched on for brief periods and then switched off, despite the presence of a large number of players exerting strenuous physical effort amid high temperatures, which caused cases of suffocation and shortness of breath, and she considers that this caused the death of her colleague Samir El-Sayed, stressing in statements to Zawia3 that the players had never before faced this poor situation in championships previously held in Cairo or Ismailia, where the facilities were better equipped and the ventilation was better.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The player explains that her late colleague had undergone all the required medical tests and submitted them to the Table Tennis Federation shortly before the championship, ruling out the possibility that he suffered from health problems prior to his death, and pointing out that these tests cost each player of determination more than EGP 1,000, which he bears at his own expense. She accuses the executive director of the Table Tennis Federation, Hisham Abu Hashish, of describing players with disabilities as “crazy people and hypocrites who exploit their disability”, stressing that he said this publicly in front of about 200 players immediately after the death of their colleague, at a time when he was expected to defend them, not insult them.<\/span><\/p>\n

She tells Zawia3: “The toilets in the Port Said Sports City are unsuitable for wheelchair users, as their doors are not wide enough for most wheelchairs to enter, which pushed some players of determination to use embarrassing alternatives such as nappies or water bottles, but the federation did not move to carry out any repairs until after the player’s death, when a plumber was called in to widen the doors and make cosmetic modifications to avoid accountability, and we documented that with videos.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

El-Husseiny affirms that the court floor in the covered hall of the Sports City in Port Said was not suitable for players with motor disabilities, as it was slippery and hindered the players’ movement, in addition to the direct light coming from the open doors, which affected their concentration, pointing out that these conditions made the playing environment unsafe and unsuitable for sensitive competitions such as table tennis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The player adds: “At the level of championships, we need a suitable environment to be provided for us, including safe floors, effective air conditioners, toilets equipped for people with disabilities, designated places for prayer, and halls close to places for eating; these are basic rights that must not be ignored. As for the clubs, most of them do not provide Paralympic players with basic equipment such as rackets and balls or modern tables, which forces them to buy what they need at their own expense despite the high cost, amid weak support for them from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the deterioration of equipment in Paralympic clubs.<\/span><\/p>\n

El-Husseiny points to the difficulty of the economic conditions of players with disabilities, noting that the “Takaful and Karama” pension they receive is extremely meagre and does not exceed EGP 1,000, at a time when the job opportunities available within the 5% quota set for people with disabilities are not sufficient to cover their numbers in Egypt, and the available jobs may be unsuitable for the nature of their disabilities, pointing out that the repeated breakdowns of wheelchairs represent a great burden on them, as the cost of a single battery reaches about EGP 4,000, which may deprive a player of training for months. She stresses that the players, despite all these challenges, hold on to their love of sport and consider participation in championships an opportunity to meet their colleagues and achieve sporting accomplishments, but what happened at the recent Port Said championship was shocking and broke their resolve.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Inhumane” Conditions <\/b><\/h1>\n

For his part, <\/span>Sameh Eid<\/b>, a player on Egypt’s Paralympic table tennis team and a Paralympic medallist, explains that the most prominent challenges facing athletes of determination in Egypt relate to the absence of suitable infrastructure inside sports halls and stadiums, explaining that many halls are not equipped for wheelchairs to enter and the toilets are not adapted, which puts players in difficult situations on a human level, especially women; this suffering appeared clearly at the national championship recently held at the Sports City in Port Said, where some players were forced to endure inhumane conditions because of the absence of basic equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commenting on the death of Paralympic player Samir El-Sayed, Sameh affirms to Zawia3 that the hall was not air-conditioned despite the presence of more than 220 male and female players inside it, which caused cases of suffocation and fainting, at a time when the ambulance present was not equipped with any first-aid tools.<\/span><\/p>\n

He says: “The executive director of the Table Tennis Federation mocked Paralympic table tennis players and directed insulting remarks at us; we have filed official police reports against the federation over negligence and bullying, and we demand separation from the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation and a return to the umbrella of the Paralympic Committee, a demand supported by more than 12 Paralympic clubs”, calling on the Minister of Youth and Sports to open an urgent investigation into the incident and to hold those responsible for the negligence accountable, in addition to the need to support the family of the player, who lost his life during the championship and left behind children at various stages of education.<\/span><\/p>\n

Law No. 71<\/a> of 2017 defines the Egyptian Paralympic Committee as “a sports body with a private legal personality, comprising the Paralympic sports federations in addition to the Olympic sports federations included in the Paralympic programme, and responsible for organising and developing sports activities for people with special needs in Egypt.”<\/p>\n

Eid reveals the difficulty of providing sports equipment for players of determination, especially wheelchairs, which are not available, pointing out that he has used the same chair since his participation in the London 2012 Paralympic Games until today, because the Table Tennis Federation has not provided alternatives, and stressing that spare parts and batteries for the chairs are either unavailable or exorbitantly expensive, which hinders the participation of many players in training and championships, especially given the difficult economic conditions they live in.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The player points out that the bonus system at the Ministry of Youth and Sports depends on official regulations, as players receive bonuses when they achieve accomplishments in major championships, while those who are not on the national teams suffer from the absence of any financial support, in addition to the weak capabilities of Paralympic clubs, explaining that the comparison between athletes of determination and able-bodied athletes is no longer fair after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where clear gaps in support and funding emerged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eid affirms that the Paralympic table tennis team lacks basic medical care, as there is no sports physician, nutritionist or massage therapist to help the players recover, which increases their suffering with injuries, pointing to what he described as the “marginalisation” to which Paralympic players are subjected, as their championships are organised in less-equipped halls, even though championships for able-bodied players receive far greater funding, in addition to the absence of sponsors for Paralympic players compared with the presence of sponsors for able-bodied players.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the same context, Paralympic table tennis player Fayza Mahmoud complains of what she described as the gross negligence and violation of dignity to which players of determination are subjected within the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation, pointing out that the recent championship held at the Sports City in Port Said witnessed the same suffering from the unsuitability of facilities and infrastructure for people of determination, over three championships held within a period of no more than four months, without any attempt to solve the problem.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She tells Zawia3: “The toilets in the Sports City were not equipped for people with motor disabilities and did not allow wheelchairs to enter, and the air conditioners worked for only half an hour and were then switched off, which caused cases of suffocation among the players; even the ambulance present at the venue refused to transport emergency cases to hospital on the pretext that it was stationed at its post, and the paramedic did not even have a painkiller for headaches.”<\/span><\/p>\n

She adds: “The championship director was not present during the events, and the executive director of the Table Tennis Federation directed direct insults at the players with disabilities and accused us of having personal agendas and of being mentally ill, but after the death of our colleague Samir El-Sayed, the air conditioners were switched on and the toilets were repaired; however, attempts by some of those present to document this by filming were met with altercations with them, stressing that they filed official reports on these violations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the challenges and obstacles facing athletes of determination, Egypt ranks first among Arab countries in terms of the number<\/a> of medals at the Paralympic Games, and the country’s tally of Paralympic medals up to the end of the Paris 2024 Paralympics is 190 medals. This total consists of 51 gold medals, 71 silver and 68 bronze.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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