In a tiny hall far from Cairo, a club forges Egyptian girls' Olympic wrestling dreams

MANSOURA, Egypt, Dec 22 : In ‌a cramped hall barely larger than a living room in the working-class Nile Delta city of Mansoura, girls grapple, tumble, and clamber to their feet again on worn mats, their laughter and shouts echoing off the peeling walls.

While Egypt celebrates its Olympic medals in wrestling, weightlifting and other sports, thousands of young athletes outside the capital toil away in tiny clubs like this one, 135 km (85 miles) from Cairo and far from any major sporting hubs. 

Yet the al-Shal and Manshiya club has produced national champions in wrestling and judo, and one of its teenage stars is set to represent Egypt at the Youth Olympics.

Its achievements come despite chronic underfunding, outdated equipment, and a lack of ‌regular government support.

While Egypt's population grew by almost a third between 2011 and 2023, the number of ‌sports clubs went down by more than 4 per cent, according to data from state statistics agency CAPMAS.

Most clubs are privately run, and resources remain thin.

A spokesperson for the youth and sports ministry, Mohamed al-Shazly, said Egypt gives "full and comprehensive financial and in-kind support to clubs" but it does so based on available resources and the ministry's plans, and is routed through each game's federation.

The federations, however, often have to channel that funding to the national teams only.

"If you have 1,000 players for example, you pick the best 10 to sponsor as they represent Egypt," said Ibrahim Moustafa, secretary general of the Egyptian Wrestling Federation.

"The club ‍itself has to finance equipment and training for the other players," he added.

This is what makes clubs like al-Shal seem miraculous. 

"Limited resources, immense achievements," said coach