“For a country to qualify for hosting the summer Olympic Games, it needs to have constructed an Olympic village capable of housing, feeding and providing medical care to thousands of athletes and their trainers,” said Rashad Abdo, head of the Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies.
The government has already constructed Egypt’s International Olympic City at the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo, which comprises a 93,000-seater football stadium, Olympic-grade swimming pools, a 3-kilometre track and a full range of facilities catering for various sports.
The 468-acre sports complex, of which construction commenced in 2018, cost LE2.8 billion.
During his visit of the Olympic City this month, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said that the state has exerted great effort to establish the Olympic City, which comprises 22 sports facilities constructed in line with the Olympic standards.
The President noted that the construction of the new Olympic City took six years, stressing that the state attaches great importance for enhancing sports infrastructure and fully preparing youth to represent the country at international tournaments.
In September 2022, President Sisi gave his approval for the country’s sports authorities to make a bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games. In light of this, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said that he has the utmost confidence in the country’s abilities to stage the Olympics, singling out for praise the newly-established Olympic City.
“Egypt’s new Olympic City is designed to be more than just a gathering place for sports enthusiasts. It’s a sport haven, which includes numerous playing fields suitable for different sports, including football, tennis, squash, volleyball, basketball, beachsoccer, and hockey. It also houses halls dedicated to martial arts and gymnastics,” Abdo said.
“The Olympic city is also designed to host major sports events. It has three stadiums for prestigious events like the World Cup and Olympics,” he added.
Beyond sports, the complex features a culture and technology building aimed at youth development and skill enhancement project. This building can serve as a hub for nurturing the potential of youth, fostering innovation and creativity. The complex also encompasses an integrated area for children’s cultural and entertainment activities, indicating a holistic approach to community development.
“Hosting the Olympics is not about building stadiums only. Having the appropriate road infrastructure to facilitate the movement of athletes, spectators and Olympic staff is a crucial component of the games too. Egypt has been implementing a massive road and transport infrastructure programme over the past years,” Abdo said.
He went on to say that Egypt possesses cultural, natural and historical attractions, as well as a suitable infrastructure making it qualified to host mega-sports events.
“Hosting mega-sports events is a great opportunity that Egypt must pursue for many reasons. It can provide numerous employment chances in different sectors. Additionally, it could contribute to more development of Egypt’s sports infrastructure and boost public interest in sports. Further, it will place the country on the sports tourism map,” Abdo said.
Egypt has hosted several major international tournaments in recent years. In 2017 and 2021, Cairo hosted the World Championships in Modern Pentathlon.
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