The Egyptian sports community was taken aback by a shocking decision from Egypt's diving team player, Youssef Ezzat, who announced via his personal Facebook page that he was retiring from the sport and would not participate in the Tokyo Olympics, just under two months before the event. Ezzat explained that he did not plan to end his career early, asserting that the Egyptian Swimming Federation was the one that compelled him to retire, as they were working against him rather than with him, indicating there has been no plan to prepare him for the Olympics until now. He concluded by thanking everyone who supported him throughout his athletic career, both in Egypt and at the University of Arizona in the United States, where he is studying.
According to the player's father, Amr Ezzat, Youssef's decision came as a result of his intense frustration with the lack of cooperation from the Egyptian Swimming Federation, especially with less than two months remaining before the Olympics, and the fact that the player had not yet entered a training camp. The father told Sky News Arabia: "The Egyptian Federation had an opportunity to prepare the athletes in the best possible way, but this did not happen. We contacted the Federation multiple times to discuss the dates for preparatory training for the competition, where the Federation asked the player to return to Egypt."
Amr Ezzat clarified that his son requested the training camp to be held in the United States due to the difficulties of returning to Egypt at this time, citing two reasons: the player is committed to a training program with a company there, following a recommendation from the University of Arizona, where he studies marketing and management sciences; and the second reason pertains to Youssef’s military recruitment situation, as he fears being obligated to stay in Egypt and would not be able to return to America.
He continued: "My son has obtained his university degree and decided to pursue a master's degree, but the financial costs of continuing his education are high, as we found that obtaining a master's degree from the university costs nearly $50,000. Therefore, my son decided to undertake a training program to help contribute to those costs, where he earns a stipend during this program, in addition to receiving a scholarship valued at $15,000 from the total amount. I was planning to cover the remaining expenses, so Youssef cannot return to Egypt right now."
The father noted that Youssef submitted an official letter to the Egyptian Federation last week, in which he expressed his apology for participating in the upcoming Olympic Games. He concluded by saying: "So far, the Federation has not communicated with Youssef after his retirement decision. Previously, when he informed his coach, Dr. Zakaria Daw, that he was considering withdrawing from participation, Daw told him that if he did so, the Federation would announce he was eliminated."
In response, the head coach of the Egyptian diving team, Zakaria Daw, stated that what the player published on his official page about his apology for participating in the Olympics is untrue, and that the player was excluded from Olympic participation due to his refusal to return to Egypt, in addition to the poor performance he displayed in recent world championships. Daw explained to Sky News Arabia: "In the last world championship where the player represented the country, he ranked 45th. There is a national championship next month, and I call on the player to participate in it for reassessment."
Daw clarified that the player is avoiding returning to Egypt due to his military recruitment status, and that the Federation cannot allow him to evade fulfilling such an important national duty. He further stated: "However, the Federation can discuss this issue with the responsible authorities, and if the player returns to Egypt and performs well in the national championship, we can reassess him."
He disclosed that the Federation had issued multiple warnings to the player following his poor results in international competitions, noting that the team must travel from Egypt to Tokyo; thus, how can a player participate in the Olympics while refusing to return to Egypt out of fear of military service, alongside his poor skill level?
In response to accusations that the Federation lacks a plan to prepare players, Daw argued that participation in world championships, along with current and upcoming training camps, illustrates that there is a plan being implemented by the technical staff of the team, and the Egyptian Federation played a role in that. In conclusion, Daw pointed out that the player announced his withdrawal from Olympic participation in response to his exclusion decision.
