CAIRO: The Egyptian Wrestling Federation has pledged once again to exert its utmost efforts in support of its Olympic Champion Karam Gaber – with the condition that the wrestler fully commits to a training schedule to retain his gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
We will do all it takes to help Gaber retain his gold medal in Beijing 2008 and we hope that he can help us in achieving this precious goal, Moustafa Abdallah, the general director of the Egyptian Wrestling Federation told The Daily Star Egypt following a Board of Directors meeting on Saturday.
Abdallah added that Gaber is undergoing, in the meantime, an intensive training program at the Olympic Center until he travels to Poland, where he will spend three weeks in preparation for the African Championship due to take place in Cairo at the end of next month, Abdallah said.
Gaber has offered his apologies to the federation for his unprofessional attitude and for accusing it of neglecting his training needs.
He affirmed his eagerness to focus and to reciprocate the period in which he boycotted the training sessions. First of all, I would like to offer my apologies to the federation, secondly my goal is now clear. I will focus once again to make up for lost time, because I m eager to win another gold medal for Egypt in Beijing 2008, Gaber told The Daily Star Egypt.
Ahmed El Sinterasi, president of the Egyptian Wrestling Federation noted that the federation has sent the World Anti-Doping Agency a list of Gaber s upcoming training camps, starting with the training camp in Poland next month, in order to facilitate the execution of the required doping test for Gaber.
Atef El Mehay, the technical director of the Federation has signified Gaber s full commitment to the set training schedule in preparation to the upcoming World Championship next September.
Gaber s good preparations for the next World Championship in Azerbaijan would give positive signs of his capability to retain his gold medal, as the World Championship sets the main qualification round for the Beijing Olympic Games in the summer of 2008, El Mehay said.
El Sinterasi emphasized that as long as Gaber demonstrates a professional attitude toward his set training schedule in the upcoming period, then the federation will unquestionably back his efforts aimed at winning a gold medal.
Following the end of a dispute between the federation and the wrestler, the Egyptian Wrestling Federation vowed last week during a press conference to back the Olympic Champion, subject to continuous commitment to the training schedule as well as undergoing the required doping tests.
