The three Egyptian boxers for the Paris Olympics have pitched camp in Romania.
They decided to remain there after taking part in the Golden Belt Championships.
The three boxers camping in Romania together with Italy and Romania teams are gold medallist in the Golden Belt tournament, flyweight Yomna Ayyad, light-middleweight Omar Elawady and light-heavyweight Abdelrahman Oraby who will be participating in the Olympic Games for the third time. African Games lightweight silver medallist Rahma Mahfouz is also in Romania as a sparring partner to Ayyad.
Ayyad, the first Egyptian female boxer to qualify for the Olympics, and Elawady are making their debut in the Olympic Games.
Whether the three boxers will be able to end Egypt’s 20-year boxing drought in the Olympics remains to be seen.
Egyptian boxers last won medals in the Olympics in 2004 in Athens where they scooped one silver and two bronze medals.
Super-heavyweight Mohamed Aly won silver with light-heavyweight Ahmed Ismail and heavyweight Mohamed El Sayed settling for bronze medals.
The three medals came after another long wait of 44 years since 1960 when Egypt won their first Olympic Games boxing medal through flyweight Abdel Moneim El-Guindi in Rome.
Egypt first took part in the Olympic Games boxing tournament in 1924 in Paris, and was represented by lightweight Michel Haddad.
In all, Egypt has won four boxing medals in the Olympics: one silver and three bronze.
At the 202O Tokyo Olympics, Egypt was represented by 2019 African Games champion light-heavyweight Abdelrahman Oraby and 2022 Africa super-heavyweight champion Yousry Hafez.
✍🏼 *_AFBC Communications_*
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