Egypt refers two wrestlers to prosecutors after desertion incidents

The Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports has referred two cases of athlete desertion to the Public Prosecutor following incidents involving members of the national wrestling team.

One incident involved wrestler Mohamed El-Shamy, who left the delegation during a transit stop at Rome's airport while returning from the Mediterranean Games. Investigations revealed that the head of the delegation, Ibrahim Adel Ibrahim Mostafa El-Attar, failed to maintain custody of the athletes' passports, a violation of administrative protocols. Consequently, the Egyptian Olympic Committee has suspended El-Attar and referred him to the Values Committee for negligence.

The second case involves wrestler Ziad Haggag, who left the delegation during the World Junior Wrestling Championships in Slovakia.

Ministry spokesperson Mohamed El-Shazly noted that both athletes were part of the National Project for Talent and Olympic Champions. The Ministry is investigating whether these departures were driven by economic motives or the desire to seek citizenship elsewhere to pursue professional opportunities. The Ministry emphasized that while sporting achievements are celebrated, they do not exempt individuals from legal and administrative responsibilities.