Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi led an eight kilometre cycling marathon in the new Port Said tunnels. Governor of Port Said Adel Al-Ghadban, several ministerial officials and youths participated in the event.

The two tunnels, which were inaugurated in December 2019, are four kilometres long, passing beneath the Suez Canal, and connecting Port Said with the Sinai Peninsula. They allow users to cross the canal in less than six minutes. Each one can handle 2,000 vehicles an hour.

Sobhi praised the tunnels as one of the national development mega-projects in the country under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, “who is driving the country’s development engine in various sectors”.

He said the ministry had held various events regarding these projects with the aim of introducing young people to what is happening on the ground concerning the implementation of major projects, as well as leveraging sports as a tool for the promotion of cities and new projects.

Sobhi further noted that the ministry was keen on promoting the culture of playing sports among the public young and old, and on introducing sports as a lifestyle, “which is one of the major pillars of the ministry’s strategy that is accomplished through events and marathons organised in all governorates of the republic periodically”.

Sobhi also stressed the importance of sports in the lives of individuals, and in helping a positive upbringing.

He referred to “Your Bike... Your Health”, an initiative by the ministry to provide bicycles for people at subsidised prices. Two phases of the initiative have been implemented so far and the ministry is currently working on launching a third phase, including a larger number of bicycles to meet the demands of young people.

Sobhi pointed out that the initiative is under the auspices of President Al-Sisi, “which is an affirmation of his excellency’s keenness on spreading the idea of sports as a cultural practice within societies,” noting that practising sports improves the physical fitness of individuals, and constitutes an economically-efficient mode of transport.

The minister said the promotion of sports was considered one of the main sectors targeted by the ministry. The agenda includes all groups of society, and aims to implement programmes to improve the health of citizens through the participation of sports.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly