Egypt's Farida Osman denied place at Paris Olympics

Egyptian swimmer Farida Osman has revealed she will not compete at the Paris Olympics following a mix-up over her eligibility after she missed out on qualifying by 0.02 seconds.

“Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, I am sorry to announce that I will not be part of the Egyptian delegation participating in the Paris 2024 Olympics,” said Osman in an Arabic statement posted on her social media.

A three-time Olympian, three-time World Championship bronze medallist, and holder of multiple African records, Osman is the Arab world’s most successful female swimmer and was getting ready to fly to the French capital later this month to participate in her fourth – and likely final – Games.

Osman competed as a 17-year-old in the London 2012 Olympics courtesy of the Universality Program, which allows countries without swimmers who have hit Olympic ‘A’ or ‘B’ standard times to send up to one male and one female swimmer to the Games.

The Egyptian secured outright qualification for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 by swimming Olympic ‘A’ standard times, but was unable to replicate that feat for Paris, missing the qualifying time for the 50-metre freestyle event by 0.02s.

With an Olympic ‘B’ standard time that positions her as the fastest Egyptian female swimmer, Osman says she had received official confirmation from the Egyptian Olympic Committee, which is run by the head of the Egyptian Swimming Federation, Dr Yasser Idris, that she will be participating in the Paris Games beginning July 26.

She was part of a group of Egyptian athletes that were invited to a special event at the French Embassy in Cairo last month to celebrate their qualification for the Paris Olympics and had been training for the Games with her former college