CAIRO, March 23 (MENA) 

Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy said that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi pays great attention to the sport sector, considering it a part of the country's national security.

President El Sisi stressed in several occasions the importance of practicing sports especially in schools and universities, the minister said in an interview with MENA Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ali Hassan.

Minister Sobhy revealed that committees grouping experts have been formed to implement the presidential initiative on sports in cooperation with his ministry.

The special attention paid by the Youth and Sports Ministry to the African file was crowned by Egypt's hosting of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in June, Sobhy reiterated, adding that Egypt has good infrastructure of stadiums, playgrounds and hotels qualifying the country to host any major sport events.

Work on developing stadiums for the African tournament will be finalized by mid May, the minister went on to say, urging the media to shed light on the positive aspects of organization.

Sobhy further affirmed that developing youth centers is a top priority for his ministry as about 3,500 centers have been developed since 2014.

He said that Egypt presented its file for hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after preparing it in a short time shortly after the Confederation of African Football CAF withdrew the tournament from Cameroon which was not ready for hosting the event.

Asserting Egypt' ability to host major events and championships, Sobhy said that his ministry is cooperating with the Olympic Committee as well as sports federations to gear up for Egypt's participation in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In addition, the ministry has already been working on a plan in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics expected to be held in Paris, Sobhy added, noting that the plan includes a national project  to hone the skills of handpicked athletes to increase Egypt's chances of harvesting as many medals as possible at this Olympiad.

Sobhy further stressed that his ministry supports any investment endeavors in the sports field in accordance with specific regulations, adding that he had expected investors from the GCC countries to be interested in the Egyptian Premier League after it has become an attractive business environment.

"Hosting FIFA World Cup is not beyond our reach", Sobhy said noting that this goal is currently under discussion within his ministry.

As far as youth are concerned, Sobhy said that the ministry is working on several projects that aim at fostering the sense of loyalty and belonging to their homeland, protecting youth from deviation and directing their energy towards serving their country.

In light of Egypt's current chairmanship of the African Union, the ministry is also working on preparing new protocols with African countries in this respect, Sobhy added, noting that President El Sisi set this process in motion by announcing the Upper Egyptian governorate of Aswan as a capital of African youth in 2019. (MENA)