Egypt Paris 2024: Angry cyclist selected for Olympics after crash

With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games just two weeks away, many Egyptians are debating the decision to select a competitor who collided with a rival teammate and got stuck in a cement barrier.

In April, cyclist Khanna Eliva, 19, fell off her bike 300 m (980 ft) and suffered a concussion, a broken right collarbone and severe cuts and bruises on the right side of her body, according to a medical report. before the final line.

In the video of the incident, her opponent, Shad Saeed, 19, can be seen riding behind Eliva, pushing Eliva into the barrier before she spins. The latter underwent an operation to repair his right shoulder, suffered temporary amnesia and has yet to resume his career.

Saeed said twice it was an accident, but Eliva says his opponent didn’t apologize for what happened. It is not clear what caused Saeed to lean on the other rider.

After an investigation into the incident, the Egyptian Cycling Federation suspended Saeed from the sport for a year and fined him the equivalent of $100 (£77) – the maximum fine. Despite this, they still registered his name among the competitors in the Paris Olympic track cycling event, causing public outrage in Egypt.

On Facebook, users besieged the federation’s account demanding that Saeed’s name be removed from the list of contenders. One comment said: “Well done to all participants except the rider who pushed his colleague. He is not the best person to represent Egypt.

Eliva also featured prominently on late-night talk shows, unfortunately for Sayeed.

„I hope she can make it to the Paris Olympics because I’m sure she’ll come last,” he told a television host.

The president of the Egyptian Cycling Federation said Saeed’s participation in the Olympics was „in favor of Egypt” and noted that the organization could not fire him because it was too late to replace him.

Many commentators have compared Saeed to Mohammed Ali Rashwan, the Egyptian judoka who won a fair play over gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Others said Saeed’s selection violated the three Olympic values ​​of excellence, respect and friendship and urged officials to reconsider their decision.

Spurred by the criticism, the Sports Ministry asked the Egyptian Olympic Committee to examine Saeed’s participation in Paris 2024 in light of „international agreements and ethical rules”.

After a long silence on the fire, Saeed told a local newspaper that the incident happened in the past, questioning why it was brought up again before the Games.

He reiterated that the incident was not „intentional”.

Cycling is not a popular sport in Egypt, but President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi often encourages men and women to get on their bikes.

He has been pictured several times leading hundreds of cyclists, including public figures, in a rally through Cairo at dawn.