In celebration of the upcoming African Cup of Nations (2019 AFCON), Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Sports and Youth Ashraf Sobhy, and Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat inaugurated today a special exhibition titled 'Sports Through the Ages,' relaying the history of sports throughout Egyptian history.
This year's AFCON will be held in Egypt from 21 June to 19 July.
The exhibition is being held at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and will last until August.
Elham Salah, the head of the Museums Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities, explains that the exhibition displays a collection of games that ancient Egyptians played to maintain their physical fitness.
According to Salah, the people of ancient Egypt taught their children different kinds of sports such as running, gymnastics, jumping, horse riding, boxing, wrestling, and weightlifting.
They also engaged in water sports such as swimming, kayaking and fishing.
Images of people engaging in these sports have been engraved on the walls of tombs and temples.
Sabah Abdel-Razek, the general director of the Egyptian Museum, said that the exhibition has on display 96 artefacts including 80 pieces from the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art, the Prince Mohammed Ali Palace Museum in Manial and the Gayer Anderson Museum.
The collection includes a statue of King Amenhotep II, who excelled in all kinds of sports and horse riding, two objects representing hunting traps, a statue of Mercury carrying the Olympic Flame, six plates decorated with the Tahtib game (traditional sticks fighting) and paintings depicting sports scenes from Beni Hassan tombs.
From R to L: Minister of Sports and Youth Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat, and Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany
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