Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports, Major General Adel El-Ghadban, Governor of Port Said and Eng. Hisham Nasr, head of the Egyptian Handball Federation also Francesco Purromuto, President of the Mediterranean Handball Confederation, witnessed the closing ceremony of the Mediterranean Handball Championship for junior under 17 years that took place in Port Said from 17th to 23rd  of February 2019.

Ashraf Sobhy attended the final match between France and Montenegro, where the French team defeated his rival 28-27 after a strong match.

The Egyptian Team won the third place in the championship after an impressive performance.

Dr. Ashraf Sobhy assured that the Egyptian handball federation receives technical, moral and financial support in order to raise the level of the game internally and to reach Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which is the main objective during the current period.

The Minister praised the efforts exerted by Port Said Governorate and the Egyptian Handball Federation in organizing the championship in such a wonderful and well organized way, which reflects Egypt's organizational and administrative ability to the world.

Sobhy ended his word that these championships are preparatory rehearsals and preparation for the upcoming World Cup Handball Championship hosted by Egypt in 2021.

On the other hand, Major General Adel Al Ghadban, Governor of Port Said, stressed that Port Said always welcomes receiving all international and local events and championships especially that it possesses the needed sports infrastructure for the success of any championship held on its land.

El-Ghadban added that the praise Port Said received from all the sports delegations from the countries participating in the Mediterranean Championship increased its interest in hosting more international sporting events.

Adel El-Ghadban thanked Ashraf Sobhy for his efforts in developing the sports system and his constant keenness to host Egypt for the sports events and competitions, which contribute significantly in the promotion of Egypt’s tourism, reflecting its positive effects on the Egyptian economy.

The championship was held with the participation of 12 teams (France, Turkey, Montgomery, Italy, Romania, Montenegro, Italy, Romania, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Greece, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt).