The tragic accident that befell Mahmoud Abdel Azim, known in the media as "the dancer with the crutch," which resulted in the amputation of one of his legs, did not diminish his hope of becoming a football player. Mahmoud states that the incident motivated him to challenge his disability and succeed in introducing amputee football to the country, as he now practices it at a professional level. The 31-year-old explains in an interview with "Sky News Arabia": "I graduated from the Faculty of Law at Ain Shams University, and a famous picture of me dancing with a crutch went viral celebrating Egypt's qualification for the World Cup after a 28-year absence; the image was posted on FIFA's website."
Mahmoud continues: "At the age of 6, I suffered an accident that led to nine surgeries, ending with the amputation of my leg. After that, I tried to work in several professions from a young age; I worked in blacksmithing and also in selling clothes. After graduation, I worked in law."
He adds, "After losing my right leg, I began practicing football with crutches in the street and at school. I attended matches of Al Ahly Club and the Egyptian national team in the stadiums, and then I went to a private club for people with disabilities, where I met my mentor, Captain Khaled Hassan, who is the first disabled swimmer in the world to cross the Manch Lake."
The young Egyptian recounts that he told Captain Hassan of his desire to play football, who then offered him other sports due to the lack of football for special cases at the club at that time.
Mahmoud explains: "I used to skip swimming training and go watch football matches until I was noticed by the team coach at this club, Osama Hassan, who allowed me to train with the team for three years without participating in official matches." Later, Mahmoud learned that "amputee football is an official sport practiced worldwide, with championships such as the World Cup, the African Cup of Nations, as well as the European Championships and the Champions League, but this sport had not yet entered Egypt, which motivated me to work on establishing it in the country."
Mahmoud Abdel Azim founded amputee football in Egypt starting from the Youth Center in Salam, in the presence of media outlets, and from this center, he received an offer to play professionally in the Turkish league for amputee football, becoming the first Egyptian professional in football for people with disabilities.
Hopes for Championships
Mahmoud Abdel Azim confirms to "Sky News Arabia": "My dream is to win the African Cup of Nations for amputee football with the Egyptian national team in Tanzania and then to win the World Cup." He added: "I see that this sport has a great future in Egypt for people with disabilities, especially since football is the most famous sport in the world, and athletes with disabilities will want to practice it."
