Egypt Paris 2024: Anger after crash cyclist picked for Olympics

The president of the Egyptian Cycling Federation said Saeed’s participation in the Olympics was “in favour of Egypt”, noting that the organisation could not remove her because it was too late to replace her.

Many commentators compared Saeed to Mohammed Ali Rashwan, an Egyptian judoka who prized fair play above a gold medal at the Los Angles Olympics in 1984.

“By refusing to attack his opponent’s clearly injured right leg, the Egyptian judoka lost an obvious opportunity to be crowned Olympic champion, but instead he won worldwide acclaim and inner peace,” some quoted the International Olympic Committee as saying about Rashwan, external.

Others said the choice of Saeed violated the three values of Olympism – excellence, respect and friendship – and urged authorities to reconsider their decision.

Prompted by the criticism, the ministry of sports asked the Egyptian Olympic Committee to examine Saeed’s participation in Paris 2024 in light of “international accords and ethical rules”.

After maintaining a long silence under fire, Saeed told a local newspaper this incident was in the past, questioning why it was raised again before the games.

She again reiterated the incident was not “deliberate”.

Cycling is not a popular sport in Egypt, but President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi frequently encourages men and women to get on their bikes.

He has been pictured numerous times leading hundreds of cyclists, including public figures, on a rally through Cairo at dawn.