Olympics
North African derby as Egypt and Morocco clash in men’s bronze medal
Despite seeing their gold medal dreams dashed, Egypt and Morocco will be looking to cap their remarkable Olympic men’s football campaigns with their first ever podium finish when they meet in the bronze medal clash in Nantes on Thursday.
Both teams have been outstanding during the Paris Games, as Egypt progressed as Group C winners before reaching their first semi-final in 60 years. Morocco, who topped Group B, reached the knockout stages for the first time.
Following a dramatic win on penalties over 2004 silver medallists Paraguay, Egypt came close to shocking hosts France in the semi-finals, before a late Jean-Philippe Mateta goal sent the match in Lyon to extra time.
Egypt ultimately fell 3-1, but now have their sights set on a first Olympic medal coached by Brazilian Rogerio Micale, who led his country to their first gold back in 2016.
“We had a great performance. We kept France at bay for 80 minutes, which I think was superb,” Micale said after Monday’s loss.
“It hurts, but we have to keep our heads high and focus on playing for bronze. It will be very difficult, but we have to try to win. It would be a huge joy for me to win another medal for another country.
“I’m really proud to have been the manager of Brazil when they won their first football gold in Rio 2016 and now to be in a position to take Egypt to the first football medal match in history.”
Morocco continue their rise in world football having reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, where they finished fourth after knocking out heavyweights Spain and Portugal in previous rounds.
Morocco, who thrashed the United States 4-0 in the quarter-finals, pushed Spain to the limit in the semi-final in Marseille, taking a first-half lead through Soufiane Rahimi, the tournament’s leading scorer with six, who could become the first player to score in six consecutive Olympic matches.
Despite their 2-1 late defeat by the Tokyo silver medallists, coach Tarik Sektioui took the positives from his squad’s performance.
“This was a good lesson for the young players on how to manage situations like that in the future,” Sektioui said.
“Of course, we’re very disappointed, but we have to move on from this defeat quickly because we have another match on Thursday. We still have a chance to win a medal, and we want to do just that for our country.”
-Reuters
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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