NTPowerHouse Countries

ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT

Population: 74.9 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Cairo
Area: 1 million sq km (386,874 sq miles)
Language: Arabic
Monetary unit: Egyptian Pound

Egypt is a Middle Eastern country in North Africa. While the country is geographically situated in Africa, the Sinai Peninsula, east of the Suez Canal, is a land bridge to Asia. Egypt is the second most populous country in Africa, after Nigeria. Almost all the population is concentrated along the banks of the Nile (notably Alexandria and Cairo) and in the Delta and near the Suez Canal.

We cannot talk about Egyptian bodybuilding without mentioning the President of the Egyptian Bodybuilding Federation Dr. Adel Fahim El Sayed. Founder and President of the African Bodybuilding Federation since 1995, member of the IFBB Executive Council as vice-president for Africa since 1994, special adviser for the Arab Countries for international Affaris, Dr. Adel Fahim El Sayed tirelessly works to promote bodybuilding throughout the African continent. Under his leadership, Egypt won the IFBB "Best National Team" award at the World Amateur Championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998. In 2003 he created the Weider Academy for Culture Training to educate the people in the Arab world on the positive benefits of bodybuilding and a healthy lifestyle.

Actor and world bodybuilding champion El-Shahat Mabrouk (left) has won five world bodybuilding championships. He started his life working as a shoemaker. Then, he practiced bodybuilding and gained his first Championship in 1972, which led him to his first role on screen in film "Al Morshid" (1989) .

There are a lot of gyms in Egypt, local african-style and also international gyms such as Gold's and World's Gym. These gyms are in Cairo and Alexandria. Not all the other cities of Egypt are well equipped. The other gyms are pretty fine with good coaches and promising players. The international gyms are rather expensive and everyone can't afford going there, but the other gyms fares are quite affordable and anyone can join them.

Cairo has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and regional leagues. The best known teams are Al-Zamalek and Al-Ahly, whose annual football Local derby is perhaps the most watched sports event in Egypt as well as the Africa and Arab World. Both teams are known as the giants of Egyptian football, and are champions in the African continent and the Arab World. Both teams play their home games at Cairo International Stadium, which is Cairo's and Egypt's largest stadium and one of the largest in Africa. Cairo Stadium is known for its tremendous atmosphere. This was never more evident than during the 2006 African Cup of Nations, which were held in Egypt.

Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, and its largest seaport. As is the case in all Egypt and northern Africa, the main sport that grabs Alexandrian interests is soccer. Alexandria has four stadiums: Harras El-Hedoud Stadium, Alexandria Stadium, El-Krom Stadium, and the recently-built Borg El Arab Stadium which can hold up to 80,000 spectators.

Ahmed Torki is our correspondent in Egypt and has contributed to this article. Ahmed is himself a bodybuilder and lives in Alexandria.

NTPowerHouse, August 2006