Behind the Escape of the Egyptian Runner-Up World Champion in Kickboxing

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The news of the escape of the Egyptian player Mohamed Abdel Fattah, the world kickboxing runner-up, continues to cause a wide stir in Egypt, overshadowing the joy of celebrating the achievement as the celebration of the rising champion has turned into an official crisis.

The crisis began after the 15-year-old player disappeared from the Egyptian national team camp in the Italian city of Jesolo, immediately after winning the silver medal and finishing second in the World Youth and Juniors Championship, and he has not been found until now.

In this context, Mohamed Sobhi, the president of the Egyptian Kickboxing Federation, revealed the details of the incident.

Sobhi confirmed in statements to Al Arabiya.net/Al Hadath.net that what Abdel Fattah did was "a surprising individual act that was likely arranged with the help of someone residing in Italy." He pointed out that the player displayed very normal behavior throughout the camp, and there were no signs of intentions to leave except for signs of deep sadness over losing the final match and settling for silver instead of gold.

He emphasized that all legal and official measures were taken and the relevant authorities were informed as soon as the incident was discovered, calling for the achievement of the mission not to be reduced to an individual act. He demanded the highlighting of exemplary models; citing the example of another player who holds both Egyptian and Swiss nationalities, who insisted on representing Egypt and participating in the championship at his own expense, and succeeded in winning the silver medal.

For his part, Captain Ahmed Gharaba, Vice President of the Egyptian Kickboxing Federation in Gharbia Governorate, revealed that Abdel Fattah – who has been supported by the federation since his junior stage – exploited the end of his last match and claimed he needed to go to the "bathroom," only to completely disappear afterwards, leaving all his personal belongings at the hotel, while his passport was held by the federation president.

Gharaba also explained to Al Arabiya.net/Al Hadath.net that the player's sadness over losing the gold medal was the only impression that overshadowed him, with no indication of his intentions. He speculated that there might have been external involvement that organized and arranged the player's departure.

The incident involving the kickboxing player has once again highlighted the phenomenon of "athlete escape," which has become a chronic headache for Egyptian sports, particularly in wrestling, weightlifting, and combat sports.

In recent years, many distinguished Egyptian athletes have left their national delegations during external competitions in Europe to settle there or obtain citizenship for other countries, justifying their actions by a lack of financial support or weak sports sponsorship.