Ahmed Elgendy & International Athletes Ceremony

Egypt University of Informatics held a memorable celebration to honor its students who won gold medals in international sports championships, led by the Olympic champion Ahmed Elgendy, a student at the Faculty of Business Informatics. He was recognized for his athletic achievement at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he won the gold medal and broke the Olympic record with a score of 1555 points. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and H.E. Dr. Ashraf Sobhy Minister of Youth and Sports.

The honoring ceremony took place at EUI’s campus in the Knowledge City in the New Administrative Capital, to celebrate the EUIan champions. Attendees included Eng. Ghada Labib, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Institutional Development, Eng. Bakr El Bayoumi, Deputy Minister for Technical Research Planning, Prof. Reem Bahgat, President of Egypt University of Informatics, Dr. Ahmed Khattab, Director of the National Telecommunications Institute, along with several leaders from the Ministry of Communications and members of EUI’s Board of Trustees, Major General Hazem El Damhougy, Vice President of the Modern Pentathlon Federation, and Dr. Mostafa Bayoumi, Vice President of the Egyptian University Sports Federation.

During the celebration, Dr. Amr Talaat and Dr. Ashraf Sobhy honored several of the university’s athletic champions, including Mohamed Elgendy, who won the gold medal at the 2024 Modern Pentathlon World Cup in Hungary, Zeina Amer, who won two gold medals at the 2024 World University Championships in Modern Pentathlon in Lithuania, and Youssef Nagi, goalkeeper of the national youth handball team, who won the gold medal in the 2024 African Handball Cup in Tunisia. His father accepted the award on his behalf.

The ceremony also honored Mr. Osama Elgendy and Mrs. Mona Shafik, the parents of champions Ahmed Elgendy and Mohamed Elgendy, in recognition of their crucial role in supporting their children. Their support played a significant role in their athletic achievements and their contribution to Egyptian sports. Major General Hazem El Damhougy, Vice President of the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation, and the coaching teams were also honored for their efforts.

In his speech, Dr. Amr Talaat emphasized that success does not happen by chance, but requires working within a comprehensive system based on scientific methodology, perseverance, planning, effort, determination, and teamwork. He highlighted that Olympic champion Ahmed Elgendy is a shining example of how success is a result of hard work, knowledge, planning, time management, prioritization, institutional work, and social intelligence, along with selecting the right supporting team. He praised the achievements of the university’s sports champions who were honored at the ceremony.

Dr. Amr Talaat also stated, "EUI provides its athletically distinguished students with a comprehensive system that allows them to excel in their studies while continuing their athletic achievements." He pointed out that the Ministry of Communications and the university will always support and encourage the university’s athletic students to achieve further sports success.

Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports, expressed his gratitude to Dr. Amr Talaat for his efforts in supporting sports and his role in advancing education related to communications. He also emphasized the ministry's commitment to implementing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to engage with various universities and educational institutions to offer more scholarships for athletes, such as Ahmed Elgendy, who won the Paris gold medal.

The minister highlighted the political leadership's support for the sports system at all levels and the focus on studying timelines, technical studies, and athletes' requirements to build strong connections between the government and athletes and provide all resources needed to develop sports in Egypt and achieve international success.

Prof. Reem Bahgat thanked the university’s sports champions and the supporting organizations for their extensive contributions that helped achieve the global accomplishments of EUI’s athletes.

In her speech, Prof. Bahgat said, "My colleagues and I at EUI believe in the abilities of our students in all fields, including sports. Our students have proven to the world their capabilities and skills, driven by strong willpower, making them an inspiring model for all youth." She added that the remarkable achievement by Ahmed Elgendy and the university’s students represents a significant contribution to Egypt’s developmental progress, and their achievements will remain a source of pride for Egyptian society.

The university’s Board of Trustees approved a package of incentives to support the athletes, aiming to maintain their sports excellence, which in turn helps elevate Egypt’s flag in international arenas.

Olympic champion Ahmed Elgendy, expressed his happiness with the recognition from Dr. Amr Talaat and Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, thanking them for the honor. He praised the university's role in helping him manage his time between studies and sports, especially as the modern pentathlon requires 10 hours of daily training. He also thanked the technical and medical teams, as well as his university professors and fellow students for their support during his studies, and expressed his aspiration to achieve more championships in the future.