Egypt's Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy during the 8 kilometre cycling marathon held in Port Said's 3rd July tunnels on Friday (photos courtesy of Ministry of Youth and Sports)
Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy led an eight-kilometre cycling marathon in Port Said's new 3rd July Tunnels on Friday, a statement by the ministry said.
Sobhy was accompanied by Port Said Governor Adel El-Ghadban during the marathon, which also saw the participation of a group of young people and several ministerial officials.
The 3rd July Tunnels, which were inaugurated in December 2019, are two 4km tunnels that pass beneath the Suez Canal, connecting Port Said with the Sinai Peninsula. They allow users to traverse the canal in less than six minutes and each has a capacity of 2,000 vehicles per hour.
Minister Sobhy said that his ministry has held various events similar to the cycling marathon with the aim of introducing young people to what is happening on the ground regarding the implementation of major projects, using sports as a tool to promote new cities and projects.
El-Sobhy said that the ministry is keen on promoting the culture of practicing sports among young people and citizens and on introducing sports as a lifestyle, which is accomplished through events and marathons held periodically in all governorates.
El-Sobhy also referred to the ministry’s ‘Your Bike ... Your Health’ initiative, which aims to provide bicycles for citizens at subsidised prices.
He said that the initiative reflects President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's keenness on promoting sports as a cultural practice, adding that sports improve physical fitness and that bikes constitute an economically-efficient mode of transport.
Two phases of the initiative have been implemented so far, the ministry said, adding that it is currently working on launching a new phase that includes a larger number of bicycles to meet the demands of young people.
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