Egypt’s Country Profile
Official country name: Arab Republic of Egypt
Area: 386,662 sq miles (1,001,450 sq km)
Population: 80.3 million (2007 est.)
Median age: 24.2
Ethnic Groups: Arab 99%, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%
GDP and GDP per capita: $107.9 billion and $1,454 (2006 estimates)
Read a more complete country profile of Egypt
Egypt’s Olympic History
First time represented at Summer Olympics: 1912
Gold medals won: 7
Silver: 6
Bronze: 8
Medals at 2008 Beijing Olympics: 1
Egypt’s Olympic Playbook
At 80 million and counting (very fast), Egypt is the most populous Arab country and, Pakistan excepted, the most populous country of the Greater Middle East. It’s living up to big numbers in the 1008 Olympics, qualifying 118 athletes in 19 sports.
Weightlifter El Sayed Noussair and Graeco-Roman wrestler Ibrahim Moustafa won Egypt’s first two gold medals at a summer Games, in Amsterdam in 1928. Karam Gaber was the lone gold winner at the Athens games in 2004, in wrestling. In all, Egypt has won 7 golds, seven silvers and 10 bronze (1-1-3 in Athens).
Among the Cinderella-story competitors in Beijing: 17-year-old gymnast Sherine El Zeiny, who squeaked in on a wild card thanks to a remarkable performance at the 2007 Stutgard Wortld Championships, and who will be the only African woman competing in the gymnastics event.
Then there’s 20-year-old Hayat Farag, Egypt’s leading female wrestler from the storied city of Alexandria—and Egypt’s first to compete in the Olympics. Should a television camera be pointed at her immediately after she competes with someone asking her what she’s about to do next, don’t expect her to say “I’m going to Disney World!” What she has said is that she’s going to Mecca for her hajj pilgrimage, where she’ll trade her skintight wrestling outfit for Ihram’s modest cloths . Also, she’ll be retiring from the sport.
Egypt’s Athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Archery
Soha Moharam
Majed Youssef
Badminton
Hadia El Said
Boxing
Hosam Bakr Abdin
Mohamed Hikal
Ramadan Yasser
Equestrian
Karim El Zoghby
Fencing
Mahmoud El Bakry
Iman El Gammal
Shaimaa El Gammal
Aya El Sayed
Gamal Eldin El Sayed
Eman Gaber
Shadi Girguis
Ahmed Khedr
Mustafa Nagati
Tamim Shehata
Selma Shoueif
Gymnastics
Mohamed Serour
Sherine El-Zeiny
Handball
Abouelfetoh Abdelrazek
Mohamed Bakir
Ahmed El Ahmar
Hani El Fakharany
Amr El Kalioby
Mahmoud Hassaballah
Mohammed Hassan
Hussein Hussein
Mustafa Hussein
Belal Mabrouk
Hassan Mabrouk
Hussein Mabrouk
Hassan Rabie
Walid Ragab
Mohammed Ramadan
Judo
Islam El Shehaby
Hisham Mesbah (Wins bronze in Men's Middleweight, 81-90kg).
Amin Mohamed
Samah Ramadan
Modern Pentathlon
Omnia Abdel Khalek
Amro El Geziry
Aya Medany
Rowing
Heba Ahmed
Omar Emira
Ahmed Gad
Abdel Razek Ibrahim
Aly Ibrahim
Amin Ramadan
Mohammed Zidan
Shooting
Franco Donato
Mahmoud Elshehaby
Mohamed Amer
Amgad Hosen
Mohamed Abdallah
Samy Abdel Razaek
Yasser Elassy
Adham Medhat
Eslam Eldeep
Mona Elhawary
Samy Abdelfattah
Shimaa Hashad
Mohammed Hassan
Hazem Mohamed
Adham Omar
Swimming
Mohammed El Nady
Mohammed Monir
Ahmed Nada
Synchronized Swimming
Reem Abdalazem
Aziza Abdelfattah
Lamyaa Badawi
Hagar Badran
Dalia El Gebaly
Shaza El Sayed
Youmna Khallaf
Maj Mohammed
Nouran Saleh
Table Tennis
Shimaa Abdelaziz
Noha Hassan
El Sayed Lashin
Adel Mosad
Ahmed Saleh
Taekwondo
Noha Abd Rabo
Track & Field/Athletics
Mohsen Anani
Omar El Ghazaly
Yasser Farag
Amr Seoud
Volleyball
Hamdy Awad
Abdalla Ahmed
Mohamed Gabal
Ahmed Abdel Naeim
Abdel Latif Ahmed
Wael Al Aydy
Ashraf Abouelhassan
Saleh Youssef
Mohamed El Mahdy
Ahmed Afifi
Mohamed Elnafrawy
Mahmoud Ismail
Mohamed Badawy
Hossameldin Gomaa
Ahmed Abdel Fattah
Mohamed Seif Elnasr
Mahmoud Abd El Kader
Mohamed El Daabousi
Mohamed Meawad
Ahmed Abdel Hay
Weightlifting
Tarek Abdelazim
Mohammed Abd Elbaki
Mahmoud Elhaddad
Abdel Rahman El Sayed
Abir Khalil
Wrestling
Ahraf Elgharably
Saleh Emara
Karam Ibrahim
Mustafa Mohamed
Yasser Sakr
Haiat Youssef