Egypt...Cradle of Athletics

Many people may not know that Ancient Egyptians, who built the pyramids and tempels, excelled in athletics and bestowed upon humanity many famous games that some of which became Olympic. Thanks are to the ancient Egyptian civilization, which was based on a comprehensive code of ethics like the belief in the hereafter and the belief in punishment and reward.

Ancient Egyptians also respect man as a human being be he a man or a woman, child or grown-up. Thus, the ancient Egyptian in his admittance bragged that he never harmed his wife nor polluted the water of the Nile, and that he showed kindness towards the young and respect to the old.

Henceforth, the belief of the ancient Egyptian in the humane aspects was the starting point for his creativity in entertainment and spending his spare time in exercising useful games that suit children and grown ups, men and women.

The ancient Egyptian believed in the importance of athletics for building bodies and protecting health and in the importance of entertainment in restoring energy and increasing the efficiency of mental and physical activity. He, then, was keen on recording his athletic and folk games on the walls of temples using drawings to illustrate the rules of each game along with cites from ancient Egyptian daily life.

As many of the ancient Egyptian branches of knowledges, values and customs have been transmitted along ages to their descendants...still, numbers of ancient Egyptian games are exercised in different places in Egypt. Many of them have also been transmitted to the whole world after development, saliant of which are :

Hoksha or Hockey

Hoksha is one of the folk games, which date back to thousands of years. It is drawn on walls of tombs in Bani Hassan in Menia governorate in Upper Egypt, and is still exercised in many villages in Sohag and Assiut. They use a special instrument of looed palm leaves with a flat end used in hitting the ball on the ground and is called ?Al-Ga?af?. The ball is made of red palm fibers tied up with plaited strings of the same material.

The game is excercised by two equal teams and on a vast playground margined by two lines (each represents the goal), where the two teams chase each other using the bat until the ball crosses the line of one of the two teams, to be counted as a goal.

The game is usually exercised in the evening or in the moonlight. The ?Hoksha? turned into ?Hockey?, which spread all over the world and became one of the Olympic games.

AL-Lugm (Or Baseball)

Al-lugm is also among the pharaonic games that have been recorded on the tombs of Bani Hassan walls in Menia. The game is still exercised in popular areas in Johaina in Sohag governorate and in el-Nekheila in Assiut governorate in Upper Egypt. Instruments used in this game resemble that of the Hoksha. The game starts with two equal teams, one of them beats the ball and the other is scattered in the playground.

A player in the beating team throws the ball to one of the scattered team, who in return hits back the ball as far as possible and throws the bat and runs after the ball along with his team in a predesigned plan trying to reach a far palm to another near palm. Then, he returns to the starting point.

Some of ?Al-lugm? or baseball rules are: - excluding the scattered team player if injured by the ball, the scattered team is not allowed to cross the limits agreed upon while running, then the two teams exchange roles. If the beating team managed to catch the player who hit the ball, he becomes the leader of the team. The game came to be the Baseball, which is widelly spread in Europe and America.

Omah Omah

While Hoksha and Al-lugm are games for males, boys or men, Omah Omah is a game for girls, where they immitate the movements, looks and sounds of a duck. Two girls sit cross-legged before each other with their hands on their wastes, whirling around and making hoarse sounds like that of ducks. On coming near each other, one of the girls pushes the other to make her fall and if she manages to do this, the girl who falls down will be replaced by another. If none of the girls falls, the one who stands up first because of tiredness makes the other win.

Al-hairana

The game is played by both boys and girls. They sit in circles. One participant is chosen through lot to stand blindfold in the middle so as not to see the others. He is asked to find the hidden object (a handkerchief or a flower) crawling on his hand and feet. The others help him by clapping and calling the name of the hidden object. The closer he gets, the louder the claps are. When he reaches it, they choose another one, and so on.

Shbier

One of the ancient Egyptian games, recorded on the walls of tombs in Bani Hassan and Tuna-el-Gabal and is still played in many places in South Egypt. It is only played by girls depending on their agility in jumping high on one leg while holding the other bent to the back.

Two girls sit before each other stretching their legs, one of them puts her heel on top of the others toes. Then, the other girls try to jump one after another on one leg over the two girls stretched legs.

If they managed to jump over them, the two sitting girls will put their other feet on top of the first pair to increase their height to that of four feet instead of two. If they manage to do it again, the two sitting girls increase the height by putting their hands on top of their feet. But if a player fails to jump over, they exchange their roles with the two sitting girls.


At-tahtib ?Singlestick Fencing

It is among the most popular games in Upper Egypt. It dates back to the Ancient Egyptian era.The murals at Tuna-al-Gabal in Menia and, tombs in Bani Hassan and The Northern Monastery ?Ad-Deir El-Bahary?in Luxor reflect the ancient Egyptian deep interest in singlestick fencing. The game is a meeting between two players starting by an argument, where each tries to discover the other?s strong and weak points.

Each adversary tries to reach a certain part of the other?s body and pretend to hit it. The game is exercised in a circle of a three meter diameter. The match is divided into three-minute three rounds. Places of contact in the body are the chest, armpit and head.

Touching the head is a knock out, while hitting the hand holding the stick is prohibited. Singlestick fencing is considered the oldest self-defence games.

Horsemanship

Ancient Egyptians excelled in training animals such as horses, which they used in dragging chariots. Horsemanship is still among the most important athletic games in Egypt, for which annual festivals are held such as Al Sharkia Festival For thoroughbred Arab horses, and among its most popular competitions is the Horse-trainning Competition. It judges the horseman?s efficiency in trainning his horse and in getting along with it.

It also correlates the combination of the horse?s prance to tune along with its coaches stirring touches that turn it into a magnificent dancer.

Sportsmanship

It is worthy to mention that Ancient Egytians had not granted their knowledge, arts and athletic games to humanity only, but also they established the rules of sportsmanship, where the defeated party willingly accepts his defeat and the winner wishes him good luck.

Nevertheless, the player who violates the rules of the game or does not adhere to the principals is excluded and punished. We can say that the ancient Egyptians were the first to set athletics synonymous to ethics, because their civilization has been established on ethics.


Formation of the Council for Human Rights;... Important Step Towards

Democracy and Maintaining Citizen Rights The formation of the National Council for Human Rights in Egypt realizes one of the most important international criteria set by the United Nations.

It puts Egypt on track with the developed countries which keep and maintain human rights. By establishing the National Council for human rights , the system of the human rights becomes complete on the international level.

Egypt is actively involved in many international agreements on Human Rights that supervise the implementation of its decisions through significant international forums such as the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Committee of the Eco-Soc.

Egypt also observes the rules of the subcommittees on promoting and protecting human rights, competent committees supervising the implementation of international agreements and covenants of various human rights, be it individual or collective, not to mention the role of the civil society especially the NGOs.


Egypt has a long history in the protection of human rights. She participated with the international community in all its steps in this field, starting with the UN Charter in 1945 that approved the right of self determination, equality and non-discrimination.

In addition, she guarantees the fundamental principles of civil and political rights as well as in social, economic and cultural rights. Egypt contributed to the drafting of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and signed it on 10 December 1949. It also signed two international covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on 4 August, 1967.

Egypt also contributed with the international community in the International Agreement on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1965, the Agreement of 1984 Against Torture, the Agreement of Child's Rights in 1989.

as well as the International Agreement on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1997. When the Egyptian legislators formulated the 1971 Constitution, they not only had in mind the previous constitutions and experiences but also the international commitments stemming from the two international covenants and The Universal Declaration's According to the international commitments of Egypt, they regarded human rights and freedoms as a constitutional base.

While the Constitution of 1958 referred to public rights and duties in five articles (Articles 7-11), the Constitution of 1971 dedicated Chapter three for freedoms of rights and public duties (Articles 40-72).

Such articles stress the following:

-Equality among citizens, guarantee of personal freedom , private life, inviolability of residence and human dignity. (Articles 40,41,44,57).

- Freedoms of belief, opinion expression, press, editing & printing , media as well as freedom of practicing religious rituals (Articles 46,47,48).

- Freedoms of scientific research as well as literary, artistic and cultural creativity (Article 49).

- Freedoms of residence, movements and immigration. (Articles 50,51,52).

- The rights of gathering and forming associations, and establishing trade unions, syndicates and federations on democratic bases. (Articles 54,55,56).

-The individual's right to address the public authorities.(Article 63).

-The right to elect and to run for elections. (Article 62). Objectives of the National Council for Human Rights The law establishing The National Council for Human Rights stipulates the enhancement and development of the protection of human rights, entrenching values, spreading awareness and contributing to guarantee the practice thereof.

The council shall have a legal personality, with its headquarters in Cairo in addition to the right to open and establish bureaux in the governorates of Egypt. The Council shall enjoy independence in the practice of its duties, activities and competence.

Hence, the Council is an independent national authority affiliated to the Shura Council and not to the government.

Competence of the Council The Council shall, according to its establishing law, aim to achieve a number of objectives, salient of which are:

- Setting a blueprint to enhance and develop human rights protection in Egypt as well as proposing means to achieve such plan.

- Following up the implementation of international agreements and treaties concerned with human rights, and submitting required proposals, observations and recommendations to the competent authority for a sound implementation.

- Cooperating with organizations as well as national and international authorities interested in human rights to contribute in achieving the Council's objectives and promoting inter-relations.

- Spreading the culture and awareness of human rights through the contribution of specialist institutions and authorities interested in education, upbringing, media and culture.

- Contributing with the Egyptian delegations in forums and in national organizations and international meetings interested in protecting human rights.

- Coordinating with international institutions interested in human rights as well as cooperating with the Woman National Council and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood and other relevant councils and bodies.


Council's Committees The law establishing the Council determined the formation of permanent committees, constituted by some of its members to carry out its responsibilities. Some of these committees are:

Civil and Political Right Committee, Social Rights Committee, Economic Rights Committee, Cultural Rights Committee, Legislative Committee and International Relation Committee. The Council comprises selected celebrities among its twenty five members headed by its chair Dr. Boutros Ghali, the former UN Secretary General.

Members of the Council are distinguished international law professors and heads of NGO's competent in the field of human rights, and figures distinguished by their competence and awareness of different prospects of Human Rights International Law. This is how the National Council for Human Rights was born after a long labour pain.

Hence, The Councils' formation reflects its mature nature of formation in selecting various categories of members representing different political efficiencies and experiences conveying a clear message for different governmental bodies as follows:

First: Human rights have become the focus of interest and major priority on the highest level of political leadership.

Second: Human rights are not only the responsibility of a body or a ministry but also the responsibility of the society as a whole with its political and intellectual categories.

Third: The moderate and rational Egyptian ideology has the upper hand in forming the council that comprises members of various pertainings and ideas, which proves the existence of a potential unity of thoughts and a variety of orientations and views for which all must be prepared.

Fourth: The state's different bodies that long stayed away from supervision and accountability must be prepared for the new stage. No unquestioned responsibility.. no work without supervision... no duties without rights.

It is an integrated system that should be maintained and developed. National Council for Human Rights held its first meeting under the chairmanship of Dr. Boutros Ghali to address the organizational and financial structure. It set up a committee, chaired by Dr. Ahmad Kamal Abu Al-Magd; the Council deputy, to establish its relative specific committees comprising economic, political and social rights.

Dr. Abu Al-Magd, held a press conference after the meeting, in which he affirmed that the committee included highly qualified members, salient of whom are three university professors, former president of the Consitutional Court, former president of the Court of Cassation, former Attorney General and the heads of journalists Syndicate and Bar Association, in addition to a number of human rights activists.

Dr. Abu Al-Magd reiterated that the Council was not a substitute for the present institutions and did not contradict with any of their roles.

He emphasized that the Council was keen on communicating with all national, international and regional organizations working in the same field.

He expressed the council's willingness to give hand to every body even to organizations that boycotted and attacked it. Dr. Abu Al-Magd said competencies determined by the law to the councils were in accordance with the UN Charter and its potentialities in the field of human rights. He affirmed that the council aimed at granting more human rights to the Egyptian citizen who is already granted freedom and all human rights by the Constitution.

He said that the Council did not echo the government and that it was unfair to have prejudgment against it before it began. He pointed out that the Council received many complaints concerning human rights that shall be thoroughly considered without going into detail.

Dr. Abu Al-Magd also said that the Council's role was to spread the culture of human rights that surpasses the relationship between the citizens and their authorities to give them all their rights and respect in dealing with all institutions everywhere.

He said that the Council was established by the will of the society and its legitimate institutions and not imposed by any party or person and as the whole world is recently interested in human rights and we are part of that world as we are in the same boat.

Abu Al-Magd urged the community, being in desperate need of hope, to give the council the opportunity to carry out its work. He stressed that the council would act independently, its members are highly qualified, experienced and reputable and none of them would ever risk his reputation. He added that it is scheduled for the council to visit prisons if necessary.