Sports on the path of development… a review of the national talent project and the Olympic champion
Sports in the path of development…a review of the National Project for Talent and the Olympic Champion
The sports sector in Egypt receives great attention. The government has developed a national strategy for developing the sports sector, whose vision is “empowered and active youth, who enjoy a healthy lifestyle and are proud of belonging to the homeland, and a lively and healthy sports community capable of competing globally.”
Based on the efforts made to achieve comprehensive, sustainable development in all sectors, in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports, reviewed the achievements and goals of the National Project for Talent and the Olympic Champion.
Linking the project and the national strategy for sports
This came during a cabinet meeting chaired by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, where Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports, reviewed the achievements and goals of the National Project for Talent and the Olympic Champion.
Dr. Ashraf Sobhi began his speech by saying that the project is closely linked to the National Sports Strategy 2030 across three dimensions:
- Promoting sports and physical activities for all Egyptians.
- Promoting competition and creativity and achieving sports leadership in various games and sports.
- Improving the governance of the sports sector and enhancing the contribution of sports to the Egyptian economy and sustainable development.
Noting that this contributes to increasing the number of citizens practicing sports, increasing the number of Olympic medals won by champion athletes, in addition to increasing the percentage of sports’ contribution to the gross domestic product.
The Olympic Champion Creation System
The Minister of Youth and Sports explained that theOlympic Champion project works according to an integrated system that covers all aspects and includes the necessary elements to create an Olympic champion capable of competing globally, as it includes intensive and directed training programs using the latest means and technologies.
It also aims to rely on trainers with international expertise, strengthen the infrastructure and material capabilities, psychological and moral support for the athlete, and health care and integrated nutrition through effective programs and modern techniques in physical rehabilitation, and effective sports management and organization.
Before all that, the idea of the project is based initially on selecting and discovering talented athletes, nurturing them and qualifying them under the direct supervision of a scientific and technical committee and national coaches in the Olympic Games, in coordination and technical cooperation with the various sports federations to develop the base of the sports tournament, and to include distinguished players in the national teams of the sports federations to represent Egypt in international sports forums.
Early detection and development of sports talent
The National Project for Talent and the Olympic Champion is based on the early discovery and development of sports talent and the preparation of sports champions according to the scientific method to help them reach the Olympic podiums. It will result in building a large base of Olympic champions in technical cooperation with sports federations for each sports activity, dividing emerging athletes according to their age stages, and selecting and directing them in accordance with each Olympic stage.
He is also responsible for supporting the current champions and allocating training programs to achieve Olympic achievements, and this will lead to arriving in appropriate numbers at the Olympic Games based on well-studied predictions that are closer to reality and can be achieved, applying modern technical and technological innovations in training, seeking the assistance of experts and scientific personnel, and setting standards for governance and transparency, among others.
Project-specific indicators
In continuation of what we have presented, the The Earth Guards Foundation publishes indicators for the project. Dr. Ashraf Sobhi indicated that the number of centers reaches 308 centers, while the number of players reaches 4251 players, and the number of coaches reaches 319 coaches, in addition to 206 assistant coaches, which reflects the geographical diversity of the project’s training centers across the Republic.
The number of players in the national project who joined the national teams reached 91 male and female players, and the number of medals won reached 4,283 medals since its launch, including 23 world medals, 237 African medals, 167 Arab medals, and 69 international medals.
National project plan for the 2025/2026 sports season
The Minister of Youth and Sports referred to the “selection” plan decided by the Ministry in the 2025/2026 sports season, using the best international practices in selecting and preparing the Olympic champion, and determining the timetable for sports selection for the project, the multiple targeted sports, and the specifications of the targeted ages and governorates.
The Minister confirmed that the selection process is taking place in coordination with the Ministries of Education, Technical Education, Health and Population, Higher Education and Scientific Research, in addition to the Information and Decision Support Center in the Council of Ministers, youth centres, sports clubs, sports academies, and participants in the Ministry’s national projects.
In conclusion, theThe Earth Guards Foundation indicates that the national project for talent and the Olympic champion adopted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports – in cooperation with the competent bodies and authorities – will contribute significantly to achieving sustainable development by building young people and new generations, in addition to the current champions who need such national projects to develop their skills. And their unique abilities to raise Egypt’s name high in international sporting forums.
