By: Nabila Essam 

Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports, congratulated the Paralympic swimming team after 4 players reached the finals of Madeira 2022 World Para Swimming Championships for the first time along ago.

Sobhy praised the outstanding performance of the Paralympic swimming champions at the World Championships in Madeira, Portugal, and the achievement of many accomplishments, emphasizing the ability of the people of Egypt with special needs to challenge and excel in various fields. 

The swimmer, Malak Abdel Shafy, ranked fourth in the world in the 100m breaststroke in the medical classification sp4 category with a time of 2.16 and was close to winning the bronze medal, only five seconds apart behind the French champion.

Aya Ayman Abbas also won seventh place in the world in the 100-meter freestyle race in the medical category s6 and broke her previous record and achieved a new African record representing Egypt, where she achieved a record of 1:21 minutes.

Youssef Mohamed also qualified for the championship finals for the first time in his history in the 150 meters medley race in the sm3 medical category.

Ziad Kahil won the eighth place in the world in the 100 meters breaststroke in the sp4 medical category, with a time of 2.05 minutes.

In the same context, Dr. Hossam El-Din Mostafa, President of the Paralympic Committee, congratulated the players and the technical staff on these results, and promised them to continue providing all support to the swimming team in terms of training and participation in international tournaments to improve the global ranking and raise their levels, until they are eligible for medals during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

The mission participated in the championship queue during the opening ceremony, which was attended by Mohamed Yahya Youssef, head of the mission and member of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Paralympic Committee, and Dr. Ayman El-Gendy, general coach of the national team and swimming Ayman Abbas, who represented the team at the opening ceremony. The team in the world championship includes five swimmers, and with them the assistive device which includes Imad Madbouly, coach and administrator of the team, and Dr. Hajid El-Antabli, the team's doctor.