Renad Ghanem
Saudi Gazette
CAIRO — Over fifty squash players, including the world No. 1 Mohamed El Shorbagy, three-time world champion Ramy Ashour and the current world champion French player Grégory Gaultier, will gather near the Red Sea from April 21 for the fifth El Gouna International squash tournament.
The tournament is rated among the top eight in the world, with the winner receiving $150,000 in prize money.
The Egyptian youth minister, Sameh Abdel Aziz, said El Gouna International was an important platform for top squash players, as it increased their points in the world squash rankings.
The Egyptian Squash Association chairman, Assem Khalifa, said 2016 was Egypt’s year for squash, as the country is also hosting the Al Ahram Squash Championship in October, and by the end of the year the squash world championships will be held in cooperation with Wadi Degla Club.
The founder and CEO of the El Gouna tournament, Amr Mansi, said qualifying matches would start on April 21, with finals beginning on April 27, and the grand final on April 29.
El Gouna is the only tournament to be held in Egypt since 2010.
“As El Gouna tournament is one of the most prominent international squash championships, the International Squash Federation broadcasts it on 45 international TV channels including BeIN SPORTS, Eurosport, and BT Sport in the US,” Mansi said in an interview with local media.
“Imagine the audience abroad watching the tournament, where seeing the squash court surrounded by El Gouna’s fantastic landscapes including the marina, and crowded by tourists, they will definitely believe that the country hosting a prestigious event like this is safe. Euronews for example will not only broadcast the tournament’s matches but will also broadcast reports about the whole event, which I believe will benefit Egypt’s reputation.”
